Veteran journalist, academic and China.org.cn columnist Zhao Jinglun passed away Saturday morning at 5:55am.

Mr. Zhao Jinglun was born on Dec. 31, 1923 in Suzhou, China. He received his B.A. from National Southwest Associated University in 1944 and his M.A. from Vanderbilt University in 1948.

Zhao Jinglun

While pursuing his Doctorate at Harvard University, the Korean War broke out and he returned to China. From 1951 to 1980 Zhao was a Staff Writer at the Foreign Languages Bureau in Beijing. After the normalization of China's relations with the United States of America, Zhao returned to Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts as the prestigious Nieman Fellow of the Class of 1981, the first such fellow from China. From 1982-1983 he was a research associate at the John Fairbank Center, at Harvard University. In 1984 Mr. Zhao served as senior visiting scholar at the Rockefeller Institute of Government, SUNY, Albany New York. Subsequently he became a post doctorate fellow at the National Humanities Center at Research Triangle Park, N.C. in 1985.

Equally as prolific in the world of journalism, Zhao Jinglun became a columnist for the Hong Kong Economic Journal in 1992. He also published articles in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Christian Science Monitor and the Miami Herald.

Zhao returned to China in April 2010 and was a major contributor and columnist to www.by33321.com since October 2012. He combined his training as an economist with his profound interest in journalism and American studies to present sharp and insightful analysis on major international developments ranging from U.S. President Barack Obama's strategy of pivoting to the Asia-Pacific region; the United States as a surveillance state and the drone war; Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's right-wing ambition to revive militarism and overturn the world order; civil war in Syria; the military coup in Egypt; the fight for Libya and Mali in Africa; Iran's nuclear program and many other topics of international concern.

His book, entitled "The World Mirror" was published in 2014 as a useful reference for students of international affairs, journalism and English writing. Zhao Jinglun's passing is an irreplaceable loss to the academic world. His unique approach and thoughtful analysis will forever be missed.

Zhao Jinglun's funeral service will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 9am at the Plum Blossom Hall in Babaoshan, Beijing.