Li Jiawei is a retired Chinese-born former Singaporean table tennis player, four-time Olympian and twice Olympic medalist. She trained in Beijing's famous Shichahai Sports School with Olympic medalist Zhang Yining. In 1995, she moved to Singapore and in the following year, she commenced her international career as a competitive table tennis player. She became a Singapore citizen at the age of 18 years under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme.

Li was born on 9 August 1981 in Beijing, People's Republic of China, only daughter of a government official and a housewife. In 1990, Li was a student at the Beijing Shichahai Sports School. In 1994, she entered the Beijing provincial team and her skills in table tennis were recognised by Singaporean talent scouts. In 1996, she was invited to train in Singapore under the Foreign Sports Talent Scheme, only returning to China once a year to visit her parents. She began representing Singapore internationally in competitive table tennis the following year. At 18, she became a Singapore citizen.