Zhu Rongji, the former Chinese premier who drove the country's transformation into a global trading power, has died at the age of 97. He served as premier from 1998 to 2003 and is remembered for his role in overhauling China's economy. During his tenure, Zhu tackled corruption, restructured the centrally planned economy, and reformed state-owned enterprises. He was also the chief architect behind negotiations that led to China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001, a move that opened China to international markets and sparked major economic changes. His broader reform agenda helped shift China from its post-Maoist years toward a more market-oriented financial system, while maintaining the ruling Communist Party's control over the economy. Economists and officials have described his work as helping engineer one of the greatest economic reforms in modern history.