Premier of 1998–2003 who led state-enterprise restructuring and WTO accession
Born in Changsha, Hunan, he joined the Communist Party in 1949, graduated in electrical engineering from Tsinghua and worked at the State Planning Commission. Labelled a rightist and expelled from the party for criticising Mao’s “irrationally high growth” in 1957, he laboured at a May Seventh Cadre School in 1970–1975 during the Cultural Revolution. Rehabilitated in 1978, he drove the development of Pudong as mayor of Shanghai from 1988 and party secretary from 1989, and helped organise the 1992 southern tour. Vice-premier from 1991 and governor of the People’s Bank in 1993–1995, he led the 1994 tax-sharing reform and the cooling of an overheated economy. As premier in 1998–2003 he handled the Asian financial crisis, restructured the state enterprises and took China into the WTO in 2001, though his policies were criticised for mass layoffs.
Activities and affiliations
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1949–2026
Political and party leadership
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1988–1991
People’s Republic of China state institutionsMayor of Shanghai
Government and administration -
1991–2003
People’s Republic of China state institutionsVice-premier and premierMain
Economy, finance and planning
Career Timeline
- 1949Joined the Communist Party
- 1952–1958State Planning Commission
- 1958Labelled a rightist and expelled from the party
- 1970–1975Labour at a May Seventh Cadre School
- 1978Rehabilitated; readmitted to the party
- 1984Dean of Tsinghua’s School of Economics and Management
- 1988–1991Mayor of Shanghai; party secretary from 1989
- 1991–1998Vice-premier; governor of the People’s Bank 1993–1995
- 1994Tax-sharing reform
- 1998–2003Premier; state-enterprise restructuring; WTO accession