Much work remains to be done, from the reform of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to boosting social-security provisions.

ECONOMIST: Reforming the north-east

His appointment inspired hope that some of China's most stubborn problems, notably corruption and the reform of state-owned enterprises, were about to be tackled by someone with backbone enough to get results.

ECONOMIST: Almost more of the same from China

The conventional wisdom is that the economy must grow at least 8% to create enough jobs to ease the pain from Zhu's reform of state-owned enterprises, although World Bank country chief Yukon Huang says a 5% growth can avert social unrest.

CNN: FROM BAD TO WORSE

In Beijing they call him Zhu Fengzi, Madman Zhu, as he crashes through the rickety communist superstructure in the name of reform, laying off millions of workers from state-owned enterprises, terrorizing corrupt officials, having smugglers shot.

CNN: Red star

Radical reform of social security is the next great liberal reform, easily as significant a change as the privatisation of state-owned enterprises also dismissed in its time as Utopian.

ECONOMIST: Latin lessons on pensions