BEIJING — Former Chinese leader
Jiang Zemin died
Wednesday at the age of 96, state media reported, hailing him as a great
communist revolutionary who helped quell the 1989 pro-democracy protests.
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Jiang took power
in the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, in which the military used
deadly force to end peaceful demonstrations, and led China toward its emergence
as a global economic powerhouse.
The major bodies
of
China’s ruling Communist Party announced his death through a letter that
expressed “profound grief”.
“Jiang Zemin
passed away due to leukemia and multiple organ failure in Shanghai at 12:13pm
on November 30, 2022, at the age of 96, it was announced on Wednesday,” news
agency Xinhua said.
His death came after
all medical treatments had failed, it added, citing the letter.
“Comrade Jiang
Zemin was an outstanding leader ... a great Marxist, a great proletarian
revolutionary, statesman, military strategist and diplomat, a long-tested
communist fighter, and an outstanding leader of the great cause of socialism
with Chinese characteristics,” it said.
Jiang’s death
comes as China sees a flare-up of anti-COVID lockdown protests that have
morphed into calls for more political freedoms — the most widespread since the
1989 pro-democracy rallies.
“During the serious political turmoil in China in
the spring and summer of 1989, Comrade Jiang Zemin supported and implemented
the correct decision of the
Party Central Committee to oppose unrest, defend
the socialist state power and safeguard the fundamental interests of the
people,” state broadcaster CCTV said Wednesday.
Flags at half-mast
When Jiang replaced Deng Xiaoping as leader in 1989, China was still in
the early stages of economic modernization.
By the time he
retired as president in 2003, China was a member of the World Trade
Organization, Beijing had secured the 2008 Olympics, and the country was well
on its way to superpower status.
Analysts say
Jiang and his “Shanghai Gang” faction continued to exert influence over
communist politics long after he left the top job, including in the selection
of Xi Jinping as leader in 2012.
Concerns over
Jiang’s health had been raised when he did not attend the opening or closing
ceremonies of last month’s Communist Party Congress, at which Xi was granted a
historic third term.
CCTV said flags
would be flown at half-mast at Chinese government buildings until the funeral,
the date of which was not announced.
State media
websites turned black-and-white, and they posted a black-and-white photo of a
chrysanthemum on their official accounts on social media platform Weibo.
Apps such as
Alipay and Taobao also turned monochrome.
Russian
President
Vladimir Putin was one of the first world leaders to pay tribute,
saying Jiang had been “a dear friend of our country”.
“The bright
memory of such an authoritative politician and a wonderful person will forever
remain in my heart,” Putin said in a message of condolence.
Mixed legacy
However, Jiang’s legacy remains mixed and his critics numerous.
He has been
accused of failing to solve problems created by China’s economic rebirth:
rampant corruption and inequality, environmental degradation, and state sector
reforms which caused mass layoffs.
In his former
power base of Shanghai, one resident acknowledged Jiang had stewarded the city,
and then China, through a period of intense economic development — but added
that he “was not particularly capable”.
The person, who
declined to be named, criticized the “clear corruption” within the Communist
Party that took root during his rule.
“When something
like this happens, the people know they have to say certain things on the
outside, but we all keep our own impressions in our hearts.”
Most people
approached by AFP in Shanghai refused to comment, with one saying the death was
“too sensitive”.
But on Weibo,
over half a million commenters flooded CCTV’s post on the death within an hour,
with many referring to the late leader as “Grandpa Jiang”.
“There were a
lot of corruption problems at the time, but he was a lively and jovial person,”
Beijing resident Wang Yi told AFP.
“The media was
also freer in his time to report critically on society’s problems.”
‘Wrong man’
In recent years, Jiang had become the unlikely subject of viral memes
among millennial and Gen Z Chinese fans, who called themselves “toad
worshippers” in thrall to his frog-like countenance and quirky mannerisms.
Some used
Jiang’s death to take veiled jabs at Xi on Wednesday.
“Toad ... can
you take Winnie the Pooh away?” one asked, using a banned nickname for Xi.
Others on the
popular app WeChat posted links to songs titled “Shame it Wasn’t You” and
“Wrong Man”, referencing Xi.
Many of the more
irreverent posts were censored from Weibo searches within minutes, with the
results for Jiang’s full name only showing state media accounts.
In a tweet, the
University of Oxford’s Professor Patricia Thornton questioned whether public
displays of grief could “open up space for the expression of new dissent and
new demands from students and other protestors”.
She referenced
two other former Communist Party leaders — reformer Hu Yaobang and popular
premier Zhou Enlai — whose deaths in 1989 and 1976 respectively provoked
mourning events that evolved into student political rallies.
Jiang’s death
“cannot but stir reflection on some stark differences between the
not-so-distant past & the reality of life in Xi’s #China today”, she wrote.
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