ABSTRACT
When the author interviewed Zhu Rongji in early 1994, he thought he had his hands full as China's vice premier in charge of the economy. China is on the brink of danger, trying to buffer itself from a financial crisis that has dragged down the rest of the region. The big question is whether China is heading into its own economic crisis. For if growth slows too much, the world's most populous nation would not be able to absorb the swelling ranks of the unemployed, setting the scene for widespread social unrest. The Chinese press is doing a better job reporting on the business environment. Key sources of great economic information are the thousands of Chinese students who studied in the United States and have now returned to China to work. Many are in high positions in key ministries and regulatory agencies, working as the country's top government lawyers and bankers.
