Zhu Rongji dies at 97

Zhu Rongji, the Chinese premier whose market reforms helped propel China onto the global stage, died in Beijing on August 12 at the end of a career defined by sweeping economic change. He is remembered for aggressive reforms of state-owned enterprises, financial and fiscal system overhauls, and guiding China’s entry into the World Trade Organization. As Shanghai’s mayor and later a key central government figure, he pushed for market-driven growth and played a pivotal role in stabilizing the economy in the 1990s and early 2000s. His foreign policy legacy includes expanding economic cooperation with South Korea, including a landmark visit in 2000 that solidified a 21st-century partnership and dialogue on investment. State media and officials lauded him as an outstanding leader whose passing represents a major loss for the party and the state, reflecting on both achievements and some debated policy choices. His death closes a chapter on China’s transition from a closed economy to a globally integrated powerhouse.