Chi a’s
eco omic
efo me
Zhu
Ro gji
dies
at
97
Fo me
Chi ese
p emie
Zhu
Ro gji
died
o
Wed esday
at
97
afte
a
ill ess,
acco di g
to
Chi a’s
official
Xi hua
ews
age cy.Zhu
ose
to
p omi e ce
i
the
1990s
afte
se vi g
as
mayo
of
Sha ghai
befo e
becomi g
vice
p emie
i
1991.
He
was
give
cha ge
of
majo
pa ts
of
the
eco omy,
i cludi g
the
ba ki g
a d
fi a cial
secto s,
ag icultu al
policy
a d
Chi a’s
sp awli g
state-ow ed
e te p ises.He
became
p emie
i
1998
a d
se ved
u til
2003,
eme gi g
as
o e
of
the
most
i flue tial
figu es
i
Chi a’s
eco omic
t a sfo matio
u de
the -p eside t
Jia g
Zemi .Zhu
took
ove
as
Chi a’s
eco omy
was
expa di g
apidly
but
faci g
majo
p oblems,
i cludi g
i flatio
that
had
eached
27%.
He
tighte ed
co t ol
ove
the
fi a cial
system
a d
pushed
th ough
measu es
that
b ought
i flatio
u de
co t ol.He
also
ta geted
i efficie t
a d
heavily
bloated
state-ow ed
e te p ises,
leadi g
to
te s
of
millio s
of
wo ke s
bei g
laid
off
o
fu loughed.
The
efo ms
st e gthe ed
Chi a’s
eco omic
ma ageme t
but
also
caused
co side able
u ease
amo g
wo ke s
a d
withi
the
Commu ist
Pa ty’s
t aditio al
powe
st uctu e.
Zhu
p omoted
what
Chi ese
officials
desc ibed
as
a
“socialist
ma ket
eco omy
with
Chi ese
cha acte istics”,
combi i g
g eate
elia ce
o
ma kets
with
co ti ued
Commu ist
Pa ty
co t ol.O e
of
Zhu’s
biggest
political
a d
eco omic
p ojects
was
b i gi g
Chi a
i to
the
WTO.
He
pushed
fo
i te atio al
t ade
ules
to
become
pa t
of
Chi a’s
eco omic
system
a d
sought
suppo t
f om
the
US
gove me t
fo
Beiji g’s
membe ship
bid.The
egotiatio s
lasted
yea s
a d
c eated
political
difficulties
fo
Zhu
at
home,
but
Chi a
eve tually
joi ed
the
WTO
i
2001.His
efo ms
also
helped
lay
the
g ou dwo k
fo
the
expa sio
of
Chi ese
ba ks,
fi a cial
ma kets
a d
i te atio al
t ade,
co t ibuti g
to
the
eco omic
g owth
that
followed.Afte
eti i g
f om
public
office,
Zhu
la gely
stayed
out
of
the
spotlight.
