China holds low-key Beijing funeral for former premier Zhu Rongji amid online censorship

August 18, 2026 at 12:17 PM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

China holds a low-key funeral for former Premier Zhu Rongji in Beijing on Tuesday; President Xi Jinping attends. Online tributes are removed and an essay by economist Zhao Jian is censored even as flags fly at half-mast across the capital.

Key Facts

Zhu Rongji, who served as China's premier from 1998 to 2003, died of an illness last week at age 97.
President Xi Jinping, incumbent Premier Li Qiang and former President Hu Jintao visited Zhu in hospital or sent condolences after his death, state media reported on Tuesday.
State media described Zhu as an 'outstanding member of the Chinese Communist Party' and a 'time-tested and loyal Communist fighter'.
WeChat removed an essay by economist Zhao Jian the day after it was published; the essay recalled an era when people were 'properly poor' but saw a clear future.
The deaths of former premier Zhou Enlai in 1976 and CCP general secretary Hu Yaobang in 1989 prompted grief that morphed into protests.

The Funeral

Zhu Rongji was cremated at Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery, an exclusive resting place for high-ranking officials and prominent figures, in Beijing on Tuesday. The ceremony was attended by senior leaders including President Xi Jinping and was kept low-key. No footage of the funeral has been released by Chinese authorities. Flags at government sites flew at half-mast and security vehicles were parked in central Beijing as the country mourned.

Online Censorship

Posts about Zhu Rongji online have been contained and censored. An essay by economist Zhao Jian, which remembered Zhu's era as a time when people were 'properly poor' but saw a clear future, was removed from WeChat the day after it was published. Zhao wrote that 'the sky was blue, life moved slowly and people could say what they really thought'. The party has long been fearful of public reaction to deaths of senior officials and public figures.

Political Legacy

Zhu served as premier from 1998 to 2003 alongside party chief and president Jiang Zemin, leading China through an era of rapid growth and entry into global trade. Previously purged under Mao Zedong's regime, Zhu was brought back into the fold after Mao's death in 1976. The deaths of former premier Zhou Enlai in 1976 and CCP general secretary Hu Yaobang in 1989 prompted widespread outpourings of grief that morphed into protests. Zhu died days before the Communist Party leadership gathered to commemorate the birth centenary of President Jiang Zemin, who died in 2022.