Zhu
is
c edited
with
supplyi g
the
te acity
to
push
th ough
cha ges
such
as
Chi a’s
WTO
membe ship,
which
helped
t a sfo m
Chi a
i to
the
wo ld’s
biggest
expo te
BEIJING:
Fo me
Chi ese
P emie
Zhu
Ro gji,
the
impatie t,
sha p-to gued
efo me
who
helped
ig ite
Chi a’s
explosive
eco omic
boom
by
fo ci g
w e chi g
cha ge
o
state
i dust y
i
the
1990s
a d
leadi g
the
cou t y
i to
the
Wo ld
T ade
O ga izatio ,
has
died
of
ill ess,
state
media
epo ted
Wed esday.
He
was
97.Zhu
died
i
Beiji g
at
a ou d
11
a.m.
o
Wed esday,
the
official
ews
age cy
Xi hua
epo ted.O ce
se t
i to
u al
exile
to
do
ma ual
labo
fo
p aisi g
efo ms
i
othe
commu ist
cou t ies,
Zhu
pushed
th ough
a
dizzyi g
a ay
of
cha ges
as
p emie ,
Chi a’s
top
eco omic
post,
f om
1998
to
2003
u de
fo me
P eside t
Jia g
Zemi .Zhu
clashed
with
Commu ist
Pa ty
co se vatives
a d
state
i dust y
bosses
as
he
pushed
state-ow ed
compa ies
to
become
efficie t
a d
p ofitable.
That
cost
millio s
of
layoffs,
but
helped
p opel
Chi a
to
ove take
Japa
as
the
seco d-la gest
eco omy
behi d
the
U ited
States
i
2010.Buildi g
o
fo me
leade
De g
Xiaopi g’s
1979
efo ms,
Zhu
is
c edited
with
supplyi g
the
esou ceful ess
a d
te acity
to
push
th ough
histo y-maki g
cha ges
such
as
Chi a’s
WTO
membe ship,
which
helped
to
t a sfo m
Chi a
i to
the
wo ld’s
biggest
expo te .Those
cha ges
helped
to
keep
eco omic
g owth
above
8%
a
yea
f om
2000
to
2010,
peaki g
at
14.2%
i
2007.
A
spiky
pe so ality
who
fought
co uptio
a d
co se vativesNamed
p emie
i
1998
at
age
69,
Zhu
became
a
popula
figu e
by
c iticizi g
official
bu gli g
a d
g aft
a d
accepti g
blame
whe
the
gove me t
fell
sho t.
His
dema di g
style
ea ed
him
the
ick ames
Boss
a d
Zhu
Fe gzi,
o
Madma
Zhu.”I
have
p epa ed
100
coffi s
he e
–
99
fo
co upt
officials
a d
o e
fo
myself,”
Zhu
said
i
1998,
acco di g
to
the
pa ty
ewspape
People’s
Daily.Zhu
a ked
No.
3
i
the
pa ty
hie a chy
behi d
Jia g
a d
Li
Pe g,
chai ma
of
the
ce emo ial
legislatu e,
the
Natio al
People’s
Co g ess.
But
he
was
a
tech icia
without
his
ow
powe
base.
Zhu
complai ed
that
allowed
officials
to
ig o e
his
o de s.Zhu
made
his
ame
as
a
deputy
p emie
i
the
1990s
by
c ushi g
i flatio .
He
e fo ced
p ice
co t ols
a d
cut
off
loa s
to
mo ey-losi g
state
compa ies,
ebuffi g
esista ce
by
local
leade s
–
a
patte
Zhu
would
epeat
as
he
fought
co se vatives
ove
the
pace
of
efo m.Zhu
led
effo ts
to
secu e
WTO
membe ship
followi g
ma atho
egotiatio s
that
bega
i
the
1980s.
That
status
would
e sh i e
f ee
t ade
as
a
atio al
commitme t,
givi g
Zhu
a
tool
to
fo ce
local
officials
to
stop
p otecti g
favo ed
compa ies.Zhu’s
campaig
was
ea ly
de ailed
whe
he
we t
to
Washi gto
i
1999
with
ma ket-ope i g
co cessio s
to
wi
U.S.
e do seme t
of
the
WTO
bid.
The
Cli to
admi ist atio
ejected
the
offe
as
i adequate,
while
his
political
e emies
at
home
accused
him
of
offe i g
too
much,
but
Zhu
su vived
a d
Chi a
we t
o
to
joi
the
body
i
Decembe
2001.Zhu
lau ched
Chi a’s
home
ow e ship
boom
i
1998
with
a
i itiative
to
sell
apa tme ts
ow ed
by
state
compa ies.
Families
ushed
to
buy,
a d
withi
a
decade
the
majo ity
of
u ba
housi g
was
p ivately
ow ed.Still,
Zhu
was
less
a
advocate
of
f ee
e te p ise
tha
a
skilled
bu eauc at
who
ca ied
out
pa ty
o de s
to
whip
state
i dust y
i to
shape.Zhu
showed
o
i te est
i
p ivatizi g
the
eco omy.
He
played
a
key
ole
i
d afti g
pla s
i
the
1990s
to
tu
ba ks,
ai li es,
oil
compa ies
a d
othe
e te p ises
i to
p ofit-o ie ted
co po atio s
but
to
etai
gove me t
ow e ship.Zhu
stood
out
fo
admitti g
official
faili gsBo
Oct.
23,
1928,
i
Mao
Zedo g’s
home
p ovi ce
of
Hu a ,
Zhu
paid
a
ea ly
p ice
fo
his
willi g ess
to
take
isks
a d
speak
out.Afte
a
sta t
as
a
eco omic
pla e ,
his
ca ee
we t
i to
a
22-yea
eclipse
whe
he
was
labelled
a
” ightist”
i
1957
fo
p aisi g
efo ms
i
Hu ga y
a d
Yugoslavia.
He
was
ba ished
to
the
cou t yside
du i g
the
1966-76
Cultu al
Revolutio
to
do
ma ual
labo .Rehabilitated
i
1979,
Zhu
ose
swiftly,
becomi g
deputy
Sha ghai
pa ty
sec eta y
i
1987
a d
mayo
the
ext
yea .As
mayo
i
1989,
Zhu
gai ed
a
eputatio
fo
mode atio
whe
he
placated
p oteste s
a d
pledged
ot
to
call
i
the
milita y.”He
ma aged
to
defuse,
with
co side able
subtlety,
a
te se
political
situatio
that
could
have
developed
i to
localized
viole ce
o
wo se
if
the
milita y
had
felt
it
ecessa y
to
i te ve e,”
w ote
Aust alia
diplomat
Shelley
Wa e
i
the
1991
book
“The
P o-Democ acy
P otests
i
Chi a:
Repo ts
f om
the
P ovi ces.”Zhu’s
boss,
Jia g,
would
soo
be
called
to
Beiji g
by
De g
a d
made
pa ty
leade .
Zhu
was
amed
deputy
p emie
i
1991
a d
joi ed
the
pa ty’s
uli g
Sta di g
Committee
i
1993.Zhu
b oke
with
the
leade ship’s
sta ce
of
i fallibility
by
admitti g
a d
taki g
blame
fo
official
faili gs.I
1998,
afte
summe
floods
killed
4,150
people
a d
officials
we e
accused
of
embezzli g
mo ey
mea t
fo
a ti-flood
dikes,
Zhu
complai ed
some
ba ie s
we e
o
st o ge
tha
bea
cu d.Th ee
yea s
late ,
he
apologized
o
atio al
televisio
fo
his
Cabi et’s
failu e
to
p otect
the
public
afte
a
explosio
i
a
schoolhouse
i
southe
Chi a
killed
at
least
42
people,
most
of
them
child e .Zhu
e live ed
the
pa ty’s
bla d
image
by
c acki g
jokes
i
public,
sometimes
at
his
ow
expe se.
Laughte
e upted
at
a
1999
ews
co fe e ce
whe
he
said
a
ece t
photo
“made
me
look
like
a
dead
ma .”O e
of
Zhu’s
p oudest
t iumphs
as
deputy
p emie
was
to
c aft
a
tax
system
that
equi ed
local
officials
to
ha d
mo e
eve ue
to
Beiji g.
He
said
i
1996
that
he
dese ved
a
Nobel
P ize
i
eco omics
fo
that.Zhu
a ely
appea ed
i
public
afte
leavi g
office
as
p emie .Zhu
was
ma ied
to
Lao
A ,
a
fellow
Hu a
ative.
Thei
so ,
Yu lai,
also
k ow
as
Levi
Zhu,
is
a
fo me
CEO
of
Chi a
I te atio al
Capital
Co p.,
a
gove me t-ow ed
i vestme t
ba k.Thei
daughte ,
Ya lai,
led
a
cha ity
o ga izatio
suppo ti g
schoolchild e
that
was
backed
by
Zhu
Ro gji.___A
p evious
ve sio
of
this
epo t
i co ectly
stated
that
Zhu
died
at
98.
He
was
97
yea s
old.___Leu g
epo ted
f om
Ho g
Ko g.
McDo ald,
a
lo gtime
Associated
P ess
jou alist
who
eti ed
i
2023,
was
the
p i ciple
autho
of
this
obitua y.
