Former President of the People’s Republic of China Jiang Zemin, who led his country through an era of deep turmoil from 1989 to the early 2000s, died on Wednesday at the age of 96, China’s state news agency reported.
He came to power the day after suppressing protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and has overseen the transformation of the world’s most populous nation into a world power. His death came as China’s communist authorities faced several days of the largest protest movement since the Tiananmen Square protests against anti-Covid health restrictions and more political freedoms. “Jiang Zemin died of leukemia and multiple organ failure in Shanghai at 12:13 (Wednesday) 30 November 2022 at the age of 96.– announced New China. Flags will fly over government buildings, state broadcaster CCTV said.
New China clarified that the announcement of the death was made in a letter expressing “deep sadness” from the Chinese authorities to the entire Chinese Communist Party, the army and the people. He died after all medical treatment failed, he said. “Comrade Jiang Zemin was an outstanding leader (…), a great Marxist, a great proletarian revolutionary, statesman, military strategist and diplomat, a long-time communist fighter and an outstanding leader of the great cause of socialism. Chinese characteristicsthe state agency reported, citing the letter.
Shanghai gang
The announcement of his death comes as several Chinese cities have been rocked by a wave of protests in recent days, reminiscent of the 1989 pro-democracy mobilization that was ultimately bloodily suppressed. “During the serious political upheavals that shook China in the spring and summer of 1989, Comrade Jiang Zemin affirmed and implemented the correct decision of the Party Central Committee to oppose unrest, defend the socialist state power, and protect the fundamental interests of the people.CCTV emphasized.
Deng Xiaoping called him to the head of the Chinese Communist Party in 1989. in June, impressed by the skill with which Jiang Zemin had just ended the demonstrations in his hometown of Shanghai without the bloodshed of Beijing. After 13 years (1989-2002) of the leadership of the party, he became the president for ten years (1993-2003). According to analysts, Jiang Zemin and his “shanghai gang– The faction that supported him continued to have a major influence on Chinese politics long after he left power.
Shortly after the news of her death, state media all published the same black-and-white photo of the chrysanthemum on the official Chinese social media Weibo pages. The article dedicated to the former president in the Baidu online encyclopedia, which is a kind of Chinese Wikipedia, was also in black and white.
Modern China
When Jiang Zemin was officially appointed by former leader Deng Xiaoping as his successor in 1989, China was only at the beginning of its economic modernization. When Jiang Zemin stepped down as president in 2003, China had become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), had won the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was on its way to becoming a great power.
Former Shanghai mayor and Communist Party chief Jiang Zemin, along with his inner circle of leaders, has continued to influence Chinese political life even after his official retirement, analysts say. He is survived by his wife Wang Yepin and two sons.
Source: Le Figaro
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