Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, 97, dies, according to reports. He is widely credited with helping China secure membership in the World Trade Organization (WTO), a process that required extensive negotiations.
Both outlets describe Zhu as playing a central role in advancing China’s WTO entry. One report notes that he helps “coax and cajole” China into the WTO in 2002 through difficult talks, while another highlights that efforts to join followed marathon negotiations that began in the 1980s. The second also adds that WTO status would reinforce free trade as a national commitment and give Zhu leverage to push back against local protections for preferred companies.
Together, the accounts present Zhu’s death alongside his long involvement in China’s drive to join the global trading system, with emphasis on the scope and duration of the negotiations and the policy impact associated with WTO membership.
