Zhu Rongji, << joo rawng jee >> (1928-…), served as premier of China from 1998 to 2003. He was widely seen as China’s most important economic reformer of the late 1900’s and early 2000’s. As premier, Zhu succeeded Li Peng and was in charge of China’s economic policy. He worked to restructure China’s system of state-owned industries and banks. He also became known for his efforts to streamline government bureaucracy—that is, the system of officials who carry out governmental functions—and to fight corruption.
Zhu was born on Oct. 1, 1928, in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province. He studied electrical engineering at Tsinghua University in Beijing and graduated in 1951. After graduation, he became deputy head of the production planning office of the Northeast China Ministry of Industries. In 1979, when China began making economic reforms, Zhu was appointed to the State Economic Commission. From 1988 to 1991, he served as mayor of Shanghai. In 1989, political protests took place in a number of Chinese cities and were violently crushed by the government, but Shanghai escaped any bloodshed. During Zhu’s term, the city’s economy improved and many new construction projects began.
In the early 1990’s, Zhu became responsible for China’s economic policy. He was appointed a vice premier of the State Council in 1991. From 1992 to 2002, he was a member of the powerful Standing Committee of the Communist Party’s decision-making body, the Politburo. In addition, from 1993 to 1995, Zhu headed China’s central bank.
