The SCMP published a tribute to Zhu Rongji following his death
The South China Morning Post published a commemorative column about former Chinese State Council Premier Zhu Rongji following his death. The author focused on the Chinese politician’s ties with the United States and his approach to Sino-American relations.
According to the author, who headed the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations in 1990, the organization invited Zhu, then mayor of Shanghai, to the United States. The author and his colleagues accompanied the Chinese official for nearly three weeks during his tour of several American cities.
This visit took place about a year after the events of June 4, 1989, in Tiananmen Square. The column describes it as the first visit by a high-level Chinese leader to the U.S. following those events. The author believes that the trip was risky for Zhu due to the possibility of sharp criticism of Beijing’s policies from the American public.
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During his trip to New York on July 7, 1990, Zhu inquired about the operations of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. As the author recalls, the politician noted that capitalist countries need planning, while socialist countries need more market mechanisms. In his view, both systems combine different approaches.
The author also described Zhu’s meeting with U.S. congressmen, including Nancy Pelosi—then a member of the House of Representatives from California. After the talks on Capitol Hill, Zhu, according to the author’s recollection, compared the work of Congress to a barbershop, where people come and go, and everyone talks at once.
In April 2002, Zhu refused to support a possible U.S. invasion of Iraq, the column states. He stated that he saw no convincing evidence of Iraq’s possession of nuclear weapons, and that the destruction of the country could have dangerous consequences and alienate the Arab world.
