Zhu Rongji, chief engineer of China's economic reform

Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji died at the age of 98 in Beijing on Wednesday, according to Xinhua news agency.

Zhu served as premier from 1998 to 2003, and was a renowned economic reformer.

Zhu Rongji, known as the "Iron-Fisted Premier," cracked down on corruption and implemented economic policies while in office.

Zhu's last public appearance was in 2018 at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, where he met with the advisory board of Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management.

Zhu was from Changsha, Hunan. In 1951, he graduated from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University. He was assigned to work in Northeast China, serving as deputy director of the Production Planning Office in the Planning Department of the Northeast Industrial Ministry.

In 1952, he was transferred to Beijing to work at the State Planning Commission. During the Cultural Revolution, Zhu was sent down to Hubei for five years. After returning to Beijing, he held a number of positions within the State Economic Commission. In 1987, Zhu became Shanghai's Deputy Party Secretary, serving as a deputy to then Shanghai Party Secretary Jiang Zemin. In the following year, when he was about 60 years old, Zhu was appointed Mayor of Shanghai. He displayed a tough governing style, introducing three major projects to solve food supply, transport, and housing problems. He also rectified malpractice within the party.

In 1991, Zhu returned to Beijing. Less than two years later, he was appointed Executive Vice Premier of the State Council in charge of economic affairs. Facing the problem of "triangular debts" among state-owned enterprises and crises triggered by economic overheating, Zhu pushed through reforms of the fiscal and financial systems, as well as implementing macroeconomic control.

In 1998, Zhu Rongji succeeded Li Peng as Premier. At an anti-corruption conference in that same year, Zhu said he had prepared one hundred coffins: ninety-nine for corrupt officials and one for himself -- stressing that there would be zero tolerance nor leniency toward corruption. Zhu visited the US in 1999. During the trip, he promoted an agricultural agreement between the two countries and facilitated China's entry to the World Trade Organisation.

Zhu's first visit to Hong Kong as premier came in 2002.

He said that Hong Kong was highly important to the central government.

"If Hong Kong's return to the motherland is ruined in our hands, wouldn't we become sinners to the nation?" "That won't happen." he said.

Zhu stepped down from all public posts in 2003. After retiring, he kept a low profile and rarely appeared in public. The former Premier later published several books, including "Zhu Rongji Meets the Press."

In one occasion, Zhu mentioned how he hoped people would remember him.

"I only hope that after I step down, the whole country can say one sentence: he was a clean official, not a corrupt one. I would be very satisfied with that. If they are even more generous and say Zhu Rongji also got a few practical things done, I would thank heaven and earth."