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Zhu Rongji’s death spotlights losses from strained US-China ties
The former Chinese premier’s high level US visit in the mid 1990s underscored the political risks he faced at home and abroad while trying to improve relations after Tiananmen.
SCMP Economy published an obituary and reflection on the death of former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, describing his efforts to pursue better US China relations and arguing that both China and the wider world have lost a key diplomatic figure.
The article notes that Zhu took personal risks to improve ties, including participating in a US trip in the mid 1990s about a year after the Tiananmen Square events, when the US hosted the first high level visit by a Chinese leader after the trauma.
According to the piece, Zhu’s decision came with competing risks, he could face public humiliation in the US if critics saw him as defending the Chinese government, or he could be vulnerable to nationalistic backlash at home if he appeared too weak in defending China’s dignity.
The article also recounts Zhu’s challenge during a period when Beijing officials were restricted from contacting US officials due to Washington’s post Tiananmen sanctions, saying he struggled with how US media portrayed him, including being called “China’s Gorbachev.”