Beijing: Zhu Rongji, the former Chinese premier who oversaw the country's transformation into a global manufacturing giant, died on Wednesday, August 12, at the age of 97. Zhu Rongji, the former premier credited with modernising China's economy, is dead. Chinese leaders mourn former premier Zhu Rongji after he succumbed to illness. He joined the Communist Party in 1949 but was purged twice, once for criticising Mao Zedong's economic policies and again during the Cultural Revolution. He joined the Politburo Standing Committee in 1992 and served until 2002, before stepping down as premier in 2003.