WORLD
China mourns former Premier Zhu Rongji
His remains will be cremated Tuesday, with senior Communist Party leaders expected to attend a farewell ceremony, according to state news agency Xinhua.
BEIJING (AFP) — China lowered flags Tuesday and held online tributes for former Premier Zhu Rongji, who died last week at 97 and will be cremated in Beijing.
Flags were lowered at government buildings and Tiananmen Square, while tributes to Zhu topped the trending list on Weibo.
Zhu, who served as premier from 1998 to 2003, was known for restructuring China’s economy, fighting corruption and dismantling inefficient state-owned companies.
He also helped advance China’s integration into the global economy.
Zhu rose through the Communist Party ranks after the 1949 revolution, serving as mayor of Shanghai and vice premier before becoming premier under President Jiang Zemin.
His remains will be cremated Tuesday, with senior Communist Party leaders expected to attend a farewell ceremony, according to state news agency Xinhua.