Now Reading: Ex-Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, economic reformer, dies at 97
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Ex-Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, economic reformer, dies at 97
Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji died in Beijing at around 11 am on Wednesday, state media reported. He was 97. Zhu is best known for driving China's entry into the World Trade…
The Story in Brief
Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji died in Beijing at around 11 am on Wednesday, state media reported. He was 97. Zhu is best known for driving China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 and forcing painful restructuring of state-owned enterprises, which cost millions of jobs but helped China become the world's largest exporter and second-largest economy. He served as premier from 1998 to 2003 under President Jiang Zemin. Zhu's blunt style earned him nicknames like 'Boss' and 'Madman Zhu', and he famously said he had prepared 100 coffins, 99 for corrupt officials and one for himself.
The Indian Opinion
Zhu Rongji is rightly hailed for pushing China into the WTO and forcing state companies to compete, but the narrative of a heroic reformer often skips the millions of workers who lost jobs as factories closed. His blunt anti-corruption talk won admirers, yet he operated entirely within the party system, not as a democrat. The real test will be whether Xi Jinping's leadership can match the growth that Zhu's unpopular but effective policies unleashed, or if China's slowing economy will need a new kind of shock therapy.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
