The death of Zhu Rongji, China’s economic reformer

Credited as a co-engineer of one of the greatest economic reforms in human history, former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji died on August 12, 2026, at the age of 97.We have put together seven stories from the China-morning-post" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="12558" data-entity-type="organization">South China Morning Post’s coverage of Zhu’s death. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing.1. Zhu Rongji, China’s chief engineer of economic reform, dies aged 97Zhu Rongji was premier of China from 1998 to 2003. Photo: Robert Ng2. Zhu Rongji: leading China’s transformation through ‘minefield or abyss’“Regardless of what lies ahead – be it a minefield or a deep abyss – I will forge ahead unswervingly, dedicating my entire life and energy to the country until my dying day.” Those words, spoken at the dawn of his premiership, came to define Zhu Rongji, China’s towering economic reformer who died in Beijing at the age of 97.3. How Zhu Rongji’s economic legacy endures in China after former premier’s deathFormer US president Bill Clinton (right) and former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji appear at a press conference in April 1999. Photo: AFPTurn-of-the-century images of Zhu Rongji alongside former US president Bill Clinton have largely accompanied coverage following the former Chinese premier’s death. The moment in April 1999 was more than a diplomatic milestone.4. John Lee leads tributes as Zhu Rongji remembered for putting steel in Hong Kong’s spineHong Kong’s leader has expressed his profound sorrow over the death of former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, paying tribute to him for supporting the city in challenging times including the 1997 Asian financial crisis.5. The 11 key achievements of China’s ‘iron premier’ Zhu Rongji – in his own wordsAs mayor of Shanghai, Zhu Rongji (right) leads an economic delegation to Hong Kong in June 1990. Photo: Robert NgKnown for his sharp intellect, no-nonsense demeanour and relentless drive for reform, China’s former premier Zhu Rongji was the primary architect of the country’s transition from an isolated, rigidly planned economy to a market-driven titan connected to the rest of the world.6. China’s Zhu Rongji remembered as chief engineer of economic transformationBorn in 1928, Zhu Rongji graduated with an electrical engineering degree before entering the civil service, working on economic policy at both regional and national levels. He became mayor in 1988 and the chief of China’s Communist Party in Shanghai in 1989, and then rose to become vice-premier, before serving as premier from 1998 to 2003.7. Malaysian PM recalls relationship ‘well beyond affairs of state’ with Zhu RongjiZhu Rongji pictured in 1996 with Anwar Ibrahim, who remembered the Chinese premier as a “good friend”. Photo: AFPTributes have been flooding in for former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, the reformist statesman who played a leading role in integrating China’s economy into the global system and charmed neighbouring countries with his candid diplomacy.Further Reading