Ye Xuanping, a Chinese economic reform warrior, dies, aged 94
- The son of a founding military marshal, Ye ruled Guangdong province for two decades, forging ties with tycoons and officials throughout the region
Ye Xuanping 1924-2019 Ye Xuanping, the eldest son of one of the founding marshals of the People’s Republic, died in his home province of Guangdong on Tuesday, state broadcaster China Central Television reported. He was 94.
A former governor of the province, Ye was an influential figure in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau affairs, especially from the 1980s to the mid-1990s, when he established extensive ties with officials and business leaders in the region.
Announcing his death, CCTV called Ye “an outstanding member of the Communist Party, a long-tested loyal communist fighter, a proletarian revolutionary and an outstanding leader of China’s economic construction”.
Ye was often credited with spearheading market reforms in Guangdong during his time at the helm of the southern province.
After ruling the province for almost two decades, he was promoted to vice-chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference in 1991 and spoke out often about the country’s reforms and policies on Hong Kong and Macau.
Ye’s father, Ye Jianying, one of the 10 founding marshals of the People’s Republic, played a key role in overthrowing the “Gang of Four” in 1976.