Zhu Rongji reforms fuel China’s economic transformation

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Zhu Rongji, the former Chinese premier credited with major economic reforms and China's accession to the WTO in 2001, has died at age 97 following an illness. His leadership transformed China into a global economic powerhouse through market reforms and enterprise restructuring.

Former Chinese premier Zhu Rongji, the driver of the nation’s economic reforms, died on Wednesday aged 97 following an illness. Zhu spearheaded China’s 2001 accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), paving the way for an export boom that fuelled the country’s transformation into the world’s second-biggest economy. He also oversaw domestic market reforms that included closing hundreds of loss-making state enterprises and laying off some 30 million workers. The former Shanghai mayor was...