Former Chinese Finance Minister Dies After House Fire, Sources Say

What’s new: A former Chinese finance minister died Saturday from injuries he suffered after his house in Beijing caught fire, multiple sources told Caixin.

Jin Renqing, 77, was confirmed dead at a local hospital after efforts to save his life failed, sources said.

The cause of the fire Saturday remains unclear.

The background: Born in 1944 in Suzhou, East China’s Jiangsu province, Jin began his career in 1968. At one point, he served as vice governor of Southwest China’s Yunnan province before being appointed vice finance minister in 1995.

In his decades-long career, he held several high-level positions, such as director of the State Taxation Administration. He was named finance minister in 2003.

Jin also served as deputy director of the State Council’s Development Research Center from 2007 to 2009.

Quick Takes are condensed versions of China-related stories for fast news you can use. To read the story in Chinese, click here.

Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editor Michael Bellart (michaelbellart@caixin.com)

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