The death of China’s former strongman premier Zhu Rongji has reignited debate over how dramatically China's political system has changed under Xi Jinping. Remembered as the architect of China's World Trade Organization (WTO) accession and sweeping market reforms, Zhu embodied an era in which powerful premiers enjoyed considerable influence over economic policy and China's integration with the global economy. His passing comes as Beijing commemorates the centenary of former president Jiang Zemin and prepares for the Communist Party's Fifth Plenum, where personnel changes and the future direction of governance will be closely watched. What does Zhu's legacy reveal about the evolution of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and what does it suggest about the country's political resilience, economic policymaking and succession politics under Xi? In this episode, we examine the transformation of power within the CCP and what it means for China and the wider Indo-Pacific.
*Recorded on August 20, 2026 at 3pm Taiwan Standard Time
Host: Wen-Ti Sung
Producer: Chinyeh Chiang
Videographer: Damon Lin
Our guests:
Arthur Ding
- National Chengchi University Professor Emeritus
Wei-Feng Tzeng
- National Chengchi University Institute of International Relations Associate Research Fellow
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