Former Chinese Prime Minister Zhu Rongji passed away

Chinese news agency Xinhua said Mr. Chu died of serious illness in Beijing at 11:06 a.m. today.

Mr. Zhou, who served as China’s prime minister from 1998 to 2003, is remembered for his efforts to fight corruption, reform the centrally planned economy and restructure China’s state-owned enterprise sector.

Born in 1928 in Changsha city, capital of Hunan province, Mr. Zhou graduated from Tsinghua University in 1951 with a degree in electrical engineering and joined the state apparatus, working on local and national economic policy.

He held the position of deputy prime minister in charge of China’s economy from 1991 to 1998 before becoming prime minister.

“Even if ahead is a minefield or a deep abyss, I will not hesitate to pave the way for myself, dedicating myself wholeheartedly to the people and the country until the last day of my life,” he said at his first press conference as prime minister in 1998.

In the 1990s, when high inflation, rising debt and loss-making state-owned enterprises threatened China’s financial stability, Mr. Zhou responded by tightening fiscal policy, cutting red tape, and closing or privatizing weak enterprises.

He was also the chief architect of the negotiations that brought China into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, opening its market to the world and creating a major turning point for the country’s economy.

Mr. Chu is considered a fierce fighter against corruption. One of the problems that angered him the most was “tofu buildings”, a concept that refers to projects of poor quality due to being gutted to the point of collapsing at any time.

Information about Mr. Zhou’s funeral has not been announced by the Chinese government. “He devoted his whole life to wholeheartedly serving the people. His passing is a huge loss to the party and the state,” the obituary posted by Xinhua read.