Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, whose market-oriented reforms helped reshape China’s economy, has died at the age of 97.
Zhu died in Beijing late Wednesday morning after medical treatment failed to save him, according to an obituary jointly issued by China’s top political bodies and carried by state news agency Xinhua.
Zhu served as China’s premier from 1998 to 2003, becoming known for his forceful approach to economic reform and his efforts to modernise the country’s economy.
Among his most prominent reforms was a broad restructuring of inefficient state-owned enterprises, alongside reforms that expanded private home ownership and transformed China’s urban housing system.
His tenure also included major economic and financial reforms that helped prepare China for deeper integration into the global economy. Zhu played a key role in China’s negotiations to join the World Trade Organization, which the country entered in 2001.
Before becoming premier, Zhu served as vice premier and held senior positions in Shanghai, where he gained a reputation for his direct and reform-driven approach to economic management.
Xinhua described Zhu as “an outstanding member of the Communist Party of China, a long-tested and loyal communist fighter.”
“The life of comrade Zhu Rongji was a life of revolution, a life of struggle, a life of glory,” the obituary said.
“It was a life dedicated wholeheartedly to serving the people, one given to the communist cause. His passing is a major loss for the Party and the country.”
Zhu’s death marks the passing of one of the most influential economic reformers of China’s post-1978 era, with his policies helping lay foundations for the country’s transformation into a global economic power.
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