PoliticsZhu Rongji dies, leaving behind a reform legacy as China’s ‘economic czar’

Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji died in Beijing on Monday. During his service as vice premier and premier from the 1990s into the 2000s, he led China’s economic reforms for more than a decade and was dubbed the country’s “economic czar.” The reforms pushed the economy toward greater marketisation and deeper integration with the global economy, helping lay the groundwork for two decades of rapid growth. His state-owned enterprise reforms, however, also left large numbers of workers unemployed and drew social controversy.