Remembering Zhu Rongji, the architect of China's modern economy

NPR | By Fio Geiran,

Rob Schmitz, Justine Kenin

Published August 14, 2026 at 4:56 PM EDT

The staggering pace of China's economic growth these past four decades has been historic. The chief architect of the financial reforms that made way for that growth died on Wednesday at age 97.

Fio Geiran

Rob Schmitz

Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin.

See stories by Rob Schmitz

Justine Kenin

Justine Kenin is an editor on All Things Considered.

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