China tightens security as it mourns economic reformer Zhu Rongji

China consigned to the flames on Tuesday the body of former Premier Zhu Rongji, and lowered the national flag to mourn the no-nonsense reformer who died last week aged 97, as citizens recalled a bygone era and reflected on his complicated legacy.

BEIJING — China consigned to the flames on Tuesday the body of former Premier Zhu Rongji, and lowered the national flag to mourn the no-nonsense reformer who died last week at age 97, as citizens recalled a bygone era and reflected on his complicated legacy.

Security was tight across the city, particularly around Tiananmen Square and the leaders’ enclave of Zhongnanhai, the center of political power, which lie on the route to the Babaoshan crematorium.

President Xi Jinping and the seven members of the Politburo standing committee stood in silence and made three bows before Zhu was cremated at the Beijing cemetery for top officials and national heroes, according to Xinhua, China’s state-run news agency.

Former President Hu Jintao, 83, who has missed a string of recent public events, sent a wreath of condolence for the former second-ranking official, it added.

As vice premier from 1991 to 1998 and premier from 1998 to 2003, Zhu helped drive China’s hard-edged economic overhaul in the 1990s.