Boeing executives whether there would be any planes left if the two that he saw were gone. The company's executives answered that two was the exact number they wanted at this particular time, because their production was based on customer orders and anything more than necessary would be a waste of resources. After this visit to Boeing, Bo became much more critical of the Chinese practice of a planned economy, pointing out that excesses of production were in fact a waste of resources. Even for a planned economy, Bo believed that central planning should be based on market demand instead of on rigid Soviet-style planning undertaken without regard to market forces. Bo was an important supporter of economic reform in the early 1980s, but eventually supported the efforts of other, more conservative, party elders to remove Hu from power in 1987. During the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 Bo initially supported moderate Party leaders who called to compromise with protesters, but was later persuaded to support Party hardliners who believed that the students were secretly being controlled by "imperialists with ulterior motives". He ultimately supported the decision to use force to suppress the demonstrations. After 1989 Bo intervened numerous times to support Deng's efforts to restart economic (but not political) liberalization, and to prevent economic hardliners from dominating Party politics. Even after completely retiring during the 1990s, his status meant that he remained an influential figure who still pulled strings behind the scenes and could make or unmake party officials. He used his influence to support the rise of Jiang Zemin, who became the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party in the 1989. In 1993 he co-authored a book on the early history of the Chinese Communist Party. Bo closely supported the political career of his son, Bo Xilai, who was considered a member of the "Crown Prince Party," though its members are only loosely affiliated by their background. Bo Xilai eventually rose to the become China's commerce minister; and, later, the Communist Party Committee Secretary of Chongqing, but his political career ended with the 2012 Wang Lijun scandal. The rest of Bo Yibo's children obtained foreign residency. His daughter became an American citizen and resides in the U.S. Death Bo lived long enough to be the oldest member of the Communist Party in China by the end of his life. He died of an undisclosed illness on 15