Zhu Rongji, the former premier of China's State Council who played a key role in integrating China into global trade and laying the groundwork for the country's rapid economic growth, has died at the age of 97, according to infohub.kz.
Zhu held the second-highest office in the country from 1998 to 2003. He was one of the chief architects of China's entry into the World Trade Organization, the opening of Chinese enterprises to the international market, and the attraction of foreign investment.
He went down in history as one of the key economic reformers. It was he who transferred tax authority from local governments to the central government, eliminated or privatized unprofitable state-owned enterprises, and gave impetus to the development of the private housing market.
Many remember him as a tough and pragmatic leader who achieved double-digit growth rates and was not afraid to speak his mind. In 1998, he said that China faced many potential crises that could erupt at any moment. "Ordinary people are dissatisfied with us for many reasons, especially because of corruption among leading officials, the gap between rich and poor, and because some local leaders behave like tyrants," he said.
Zhu called dishonest bankers "idiots" and said that the dikes and flood-control dams along the Yangtze were "unreliable and porous, like tofu."
Under his leadership, the economy was stabilized and corruption was reduced. China began to transform into an industrial power, shedding its status as a communist outsider. At the same time, these reforms led to the layoff of 30 million people over five years, and the enormous economic growth created even greater inequality.
Zhu was born in the central province of Hunan in 1928 and earned a degree in electrical engineering before entering government service. He joined the Communist Party in 1949. He was purged twice: once for calling Mao Zedong's economic policies irrational, for which he was labeled a "rightist," and again during the Cultural Revolution.
After Mao's death, Zhu was reinstated in the party and by 1991 had become vice premier in charge of China's economy. Seven years later, he became premier. Zhu led the difficult negotiations for China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2002.
Obituaries in Chinese state media describe him as a "time-tested loyal fighter for the ideals of communism, an outstanding proletarian revolutionary, and a political figure."