Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who led China after pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square from 1989 to the early 2000s, died on Wednesday at the age of 96, China’s official news agency Xinhua reported.
Jiang came to power the day after army tanks ended the movement in Tiananmen Square on the night of June 3-4, 1989, witnessing the transformation of the world’s most populous country into a global power.
The former head of state died of leukemia and multiple organ failure in Shanghai, the economic capital of China, where he was the local leader of the Communist Party (CPC) in the second half of the 1980s.
Considered a surprise choice to lead the party divided after the 1989 turmoil, Jiang China has seen several historic transformations, including the resumption of market-oriented economic reforms, the return of the sovereignty of Hong Kong and Macao by the United Kingdom and Portugal respectively, and Beijing’s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001.
Even at a time when China was opening up to the outside world, the Jiang government cracked down on dissidents and activists who advocated for human and labor rights and pro-democracy reforms, and banned the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which the CCP saw as a threat to its monopoly power.
He relinquished his last official title in 2004, but continued to exert influence behind the scenes during the disputes between various CPC factions that preceded the takeover of China’s current leader, Xi Jinping, in 2012.
Rumors that Jiang could be in poor health emerged after his absence from the 20th CPC Congress, which took place last October, which cemented Xi’s status as China’s strongest leader since at least the 1990s and 1980s.
Jiang was about to retire as Party Secretary in Shanghai in 1989 when he was summoned by then Supreme Leader Deng Xiaoping. He succeeded Zhao Ziyang, who was fired by Deng for his support of protesters in Tiananmen Square. Zhao was kept under house arrest until his death in 2005.
During his 13 years as secretary general of the CPC, Jiang spearheaded China’s economic rise by welcoming private sector businessmen to the party and encouraging foreign investment after China joined the WTO. China overtook Germany and then Japan to become the world’s second largest economy after the United States.
Jiang also achieved a political victory when Beijing was chosen to host the 2008 Summer Olympics after an earlier failed bid.
Jiang, a former manager of a soap factory, ended his career with the first orderly succession in the history of the communist regime when he handed over his position in 2002 to Hu Jintao, who also assumed the ceremonial title of head of state in 2002. the same year next.
Source: DN
