Ex-Chinese Premier Zhu, promoter of economic reforms, dies at 97

BEIJING - Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji, who strongly promoted economic reforms under the leadership of President Jiang Zemin and helped the Asian country achieve a rapid growth, died of illness Wednesday, state-run media reported. He was 97.

Zhu, who served as premier between 1998 and 2003, pushed through drastic economic and state-sector reforms, secured annual economic growth of around 8 percent and played an active role in realizing China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001.