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Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji (right)./Reuters
Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, one of the country's foremost economic reformers who spearheaded sweeping changes to the state-owned enterprises and helped secure China's entry into the World Trade Organisation, died here on Wednesday.
He was 98.
Zhu died of illness, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
He served as China's premier from 1998 to 2003 and was remembered for his tough campaign against corruption, efforts to shake up the centrally planned economy and sweeping reforms of the state-owned enterprise (SOE) sector.
Zhu also played a key role in securing China's entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in 2001, a landmark step that accelerated the country's integration into the global economy. -- PTI
