Former China premier Zhu Rongji, reform architect and WTO driver, dies at 98

Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, a key architect of economic reform, died in Beijing at 98. His legacy spans state enterprise overhauls, China's WTO entry and a notable push to improve India-China ties.Stock photo used for illustrationFormer Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, one of the country’s leading economic reformers who pushed major changes in state-owned enterprises and played a key role in China’s entry into the World Trade Organisation, died in Beijing on Wednesday, state-run Xinhua reported. He was 98 and died of illness.Zhu served as China’s premier from 1998 to 2003 and was known for his campaign against corruption, efforts to overhaul the centrally planned economy and reforms in the state-owned enterprise sector. He also had a significant role in improving India-China ties, including through his 2002 visit to India.An obituary jointly issued by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the State Council and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference described Zhu as an "excellent" party member, a "time-tested and loyal communist fighter" and an "outstanding proletarian revolutionist", statesman and leader of the party and the state. He had also served as a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau, the top decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party of China.Born in Changsha in Hunan province in October 1928, Zhu graduated from Tsinghua University with a degree in electrical engineering. He joined the revolutionary movement in December 1948 and became a CPC member in 1949. After serving as mayor and Communist Party secretary of Shanghai from 1987 to 1991, where he pushed market-oriented reforms, he was elevated as vice premier in 1991. He was on the Politburo Standing Committee from 1992 to 2002 before becoming premier in March 1998. During his time in office, Zhu sought to address high inflation, mounting debt and losses in state-owned enterprises, which were seen as threats to financial stability. He tackled these risks by centralising fiscal policy, cutting red tape and shutting or privatising failing enterprises. According to observers, these reforms reshaped China’s economic landscape but also led to major social disruption, including large-scale layoffs in the state sector. Supporters, however, credit him, along with his mentor Deng Xiaoping, with helping lay the institutional foundation for China’s rise as an economic power.Zhu’s role in China’s entry into the WTO was especially important. He was closely involved in the long negotiations that led to China joining the global trade body in 2001, a step that opened the country further to international markets and brought major changes to its economy, according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post. Zhu once said he wished to be remembered simply as "an honest official". CPC historians said his relationship with Mao Zedong was shaped by intellectual disagreements, as his economic views differed sharply from Mao’s ideological Marxist campaigns. He had a warmer equation with Deng, whom he regarded as a mentor and patron. Zhu also played a notable part in improving India-China relations. He visited India in 2002, the first visit by a Chinese premier in 11 years, with the aim of expanding economic cooperation and mutual trust. During the trip, he held talks with then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and other Indian leaders, and visited Agra, New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. After stepping down in 2003, Zhu largely withdrew from public life and made only occasional public appearances, while publishing his speeches and writings in a widely read multi-volume collection that preserved his views on governance and economic reform.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 12, 2026 18:02 IST