Zhu Rongji, Chinese premier who cajoled economy into modern era, dies at 97
He forced sweeping state-sector reforms and helped bring China into the World Trade Organization, a move that reshaped the economy and cost millions of jobs.
- Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji died of illness in Beijing on Wednesday at age 98, credited with steering China toward global economic power through bold, transformative reforms.
- Building on Deng Xiaoping's 1979 reforms, Zhu pushed China into the World Trade Organization and dismantled bloated state-owned enterprises, earning the nickname 'One-Chop Zhu' for streamlining bureaucracy.
- ASPI fellow Lizzi Lee noted critics described his approach as 'surgery without anesthesia,' overlooking human costs, though he was a leader of immense conviction who dared to break the mold.
- His policies propelled China to become a global economic power, though they caused mass layoffs and unintended consequences, leaving many Chinese to remember him with mixed feelings.
- History's verdict remains divided on the leader who dared to break the mold; he is survived by his wife, Madam Lao An, his son investment banker Yunlai, also known as Levin, and daughter Yanlai.
193 Articles
193 Articles
The Making & Remaking of Chinese Totalitarianism
Editor's Note: The death of former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, a leading architect of China's market reforms, gives new resonance to the author's argument: China transformed its economy without fundamentally changing the political system beneath it.By Chenggang Xu, Project Syndicate August 14, 2026For decades, the
Zhu Rongji, Political Magician
Zhu Rongji, Political Magician acabral-sanche… Thu, 08/13/2026 - 16:14 SVG Commentary Sep 23, 1999 The Washington Quarterly Zhu Rongji, Political Magician Thomas J. Duesterberg Senior Fellow Thomas J. Duesterberg Commentary Caption Premier Zhu Rongji speaks at the White House on April 8, 1999, in Washington, DC. (Getty Images) Toggle Table of Contents Contents Contents Share to Twitter Twitter Share to Facebook Facebook Share to Linke…
Former Prime Minister Zhu Rongji liberalized the rigid Chinese planned economy in the 1990s, with the unstoppable rise of China as an economic...
China's Ex-Premier Zhu Rongji, Who Led Beijing Into World Trade Body, Dies At 97
Zhu led efforts to secure WTO membership following marathon negotiations that began in the 1980s. That status would enshrine free trade as a national commitment, giving Zhu a tool to force local officials to stop protecting favored companies.
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