Zhu Rongji, former Premier of the People's Republic of China, has passed away at the age of 97. China has lost one of the great architects of its economic transformation, and I have lost a good friend. It was Zhu's reforms that helped accelerate China's extraordinary rise as an economic superpower. In the 1990s, Zhu and I worked together to deepen economic and financial ties between Malaysia and China. Much of what we built in that era still underpins our relationship today. Yet my own memories of him go well beyond affairs of state. It was Zhu who arranged for me to visit Confucius' home village, not to mention the majestic Tai Shan, and the historic sites associated with Admiral Zheng He. On another occasion, during a visit to my home library, he surprised me with several Chinese classics he had personally selected. I still have them to this day. Zhu was a formidable statesman, but I will remember him above all as a man of great character, driven by a fierce sense of duty to his nation. My deepest condolences go to his wife, his children and to the people of China. ANWAR IBRAHIM Photo: AP