Death of Zhu Rongji, the former premier who took China into the WTO — and whose age Beijing and the West report differently

Germany

incl. 1 state outlet

2 SOURCES

Western trade partners · 3 of 8 countries

Berlin first recalls the market reformer who tied China to the global economy, paving the way for German exporters, and notes a personal connection to Helmut Kohl that is absent from other pools.

Australia

2 SOURCES

Asian economic observers · 2 of 8 countries

Canberra is reexamining, in the wake of Zhu Rongji's passing, the growth trajectory that fueled two decades of Australian mining exports to China.

China

2 SOURCES

Close partners of Beijing · 3 of 8 countries

Beijing hails Zhu Rongji as an exemplary state leader, while Hong Kong views him as an ally of its financial stability and Southeast Asia as an old personal friend.

South Korea

2 SOURCES

Asian economic observers · 2 of 8 countries

Seoul is assessing Zhu Rongji's legacy in light of its own trade rivalry with Beijing, which emerged from China's entry into the WTO.

United States

2 SOURCES

Western trade partners · 3 of 8 countries

The United States government retains the architect of China's WTO entry, a "tough technocrat" who negotiated against its own trade emissaries.

France

2 SOURCES

Western trade partners · 3 of 8 countries

France is examining the paradox of Zhu Rongji: purged under Mao, he went on to become the ruthless architect of privatizations that brought China into the global economy.

Malaysia

2 SOURCES

Close partners of Beijing · 3 of 8 countries

Kuala Lumpur hails Zhu Rongji as a personal friend of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and the architect of an economic transformation from which Malaysia directly benefited in the 1990s.

Pakistan

3 SOURCES

Close partners of Beijing · 3 of 8 countries

Islamabad hails Zhu Rongji as "a great leader and a good friend of Pakistan", conveying the official condolence message rather than a critical assessment of the Chinese reformer.