China's ex-leader Jiang Zemin, an influential reformer, has died at 96
Chinese President Jiang Zemin sings a selection from "Beijing Opera" on the last day of an eight-day visit to the U.S. on Nov. 2, 1997, in Los Angeles. Hector Mata/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Hector Mata/AFP via Getty ImagesChinese President Jiang Zemin sings a selection from "Beijing Opera" on the last day of an eight-day visit to the U.S. on Nov. 2, 1997, in Los Angeles.
Hector Mata/AFP via Getty ImagesFormer Chinese leader and general secretary of the country's ruling Communist Party Jiang Zemin died at the age of 96, state news agency Xinhua announced Wednesday. The cause of death was leukemia and multiple organ failure.
Jiang was a divisive and colorful figure at the forefront of political life for 15 years. Even after retirement, analysts say, he exercised influence — and in his last years, served as a counterweight to China's current leader, Xi Jinping.
The announcement came at a highly sensitive time in China as the authorities grapple with a rash of street protests expressing deep unhappiness with President Xi Jinping's signature "zero COVID" policy as well as other issues.
Sponsor MessageIn China, mourning can turn political. The death in April 1989 of purged reformist party boss Hu Yaobang triggered weeks of protests centered on Tiananmen Square. The army was eventually called in to crush the demonstrations, killing hundreds if not thousands of people.
That year, Jiang got his break to be party leader in the aftermath of the chaos of the student-led protests centered on Tiananmen Square.
China was a pariah. Jiang was tasked with restoring stability within a divided Communist Party — and rehabilitating the image of a government that had ordered the military to fire on its own citizens.
In a 2000 interview, CBS journalist Mike Wallace called Jiang "a dictator, an authoritarian." And Jiang objected.
"Very frankly speaking, I don't agree with your point," the Chinese leader said in English. "Your way of describing what things are like in China is as absurd as what the Arabian Nights may sound like."
YouTube The "Shanghai gang"At first, Jiang was thought to be a weak and transitional figure — a surprise choice for the next party leader — but few other officials were trusted and other, more liberal officials had been purged.
Enlarge this imageThen-Mayor of Shanghai Jiang Zemin (left) gives a tour to Queen Elizabeth II (center) flanked by Chinese Foreign Minister Wu Xueqian (right), and Hong Kong Gov. Geoffrey Howe at the Yuyuan Gardens in Shanghai on Oct. 15, 1986. Yoshikazu Mikami/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Yoshikazu Mikami/AFP via Getty ImagesThen-Mayor of Shanghai Jiang Zemin (left) gives a tour to Queen Elizabeth II (center) flanked by Chinese Foreign Minister Wu Xueqian (right), and Hong Kong Gov. Geoffrey Howe at the Yuyuan Gardens in Shanghai on Oct. 15, 1986.
Yoshikazu Mikami/AFP via Getty ImagesBy 1993, he was also named head of state, in addition to party leader, and only relinquished his last title in 2004, all the while increasing his influence.
World China's Ex-Premier Resigns Military Post"He managed to steer China from great difficulties to great promise," says Jia Qingguo, the former dean of Peking University's School of International Studies. "China became — under his leadership — more open to the outside world, more liberal and China's economy became more dynamic."
Born on Aug. 17, 1926, in southern Jiangsu province to a prosperous family, Jiang joined an underground Communist cell in 1946. After the Communist Party won control of China, he was assigned to build relations with the Soviet Union and worked in the Stalin Automobile Factory in Moscow, where he learned to speak Russian.
Sponsor MessageAn engineer by training, he rose through the ranks as a technocrat, eventually heading the Ministry of Electronics Industry in the 1980s.
Enlarge this imageLeft: General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Jiang Zemin waves before boarding his flight for Moscow, on May 15, 1991, in Beijing. Right: Zemin shakes hands with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev (R) on May 16, 1991, in Moscow. Mike Fiala/AFP via Getty Images; Vitaly Armand/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Mike Fiala/AFP via Getty Images; Vitaly Armand/AFP via Getty ImagesLeft: General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Jiang Zemin waves before boarding his flight for Moscow, on May 15, 1991, in Beijing. Right: Zemin shakes hands with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev (R) on May 16, 1991, in Moscow.
Mike Fiala/AFP via Getty Images; Vitaly Armand/AFP via Getty ImagesBut he remains most closely associated with the cosmopolitan city of Shanghai, where he was mayor before being plucked away to become overall head of the Communist Party. In Shanghai, he championed foreign investment and built up a network of proteges and associates he later helped promote up the ranks of party leadership — a power base analysts of Chinese elite politics termed "the Shanghai gang." Those connections later let Jiang retain significant influence long after he had officially left the top echelons of power.
The "Three Represents"Jiang's main ideological innovation was a broad theory called the "Three Represents," officially enshrined into Communist Party orthodoxy in 2002. He wanted to allow entrepreneurs and capitalists to join the party, and his theory underpinned the ideological somersaults necessary to permit it.
"This has been instrumental in ensuring that the party remains relevant. But of course the nature of the party has changed tremendously," says Willy Lam, a senior fellow at U.S. think tank the Jamestown Foundation and one of the first people to write a biography of Jiang.
The move was controversial, but it ultimately ensured the party's continued grip on power by co-opting a rising class of self-made entrepreneurs and China's middle class. "It is no longer the party of the workers and peasants," Lam says. "What we have seen is a new aristocracy has risen up the ranks. It is now the party of the rich and powerful."
Enlarge this imageCommunist Party Secretary General Jiang Zemin delivers his reports to the opening of the 14th Chinese Communist Party Congress on October 12, 1992 in Beijing. Mike Fiala/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Mike Fiala/AFP via Getty ImagesCommunist Party Secretary General Jiang Zemin delivers his reports to the opening of the 14th Chinese Communist Party Congress on October 12, 1992 in Beijing.
Mike Fiala/AFP via Getty ImagesJiang's ideological flexibility cemented his legacy of combining growing economic freedoms with the absence of meaningful political liberalization, though his term was marked by the relaxation of political controls on press and free expression.
"We were not afraid of any kind of punishment then for covering stories," said Alfred Wu, a political science professor at National University Singapore who was then a Chinese state media reporter. "The only advice from my senior editors was not to criticize Jiang himself."
Sponsor Message An economic liberal, but not a political liberalYet despite his ties to policies known as "reform and opening" in the 1980s, Jiang was no political liberal himself. When student protests roared through the country in 1989, he sacked a well-known newspaper editor and supported the execution of three student demonstrators. A decade later, he ordered the mass arrests of adherents of Falun Gong, a spiritual sect.
His political longevity meant he presided over China during other pivotal historical moments whose implications are still felt today.
Enlarge this imageChinese President Jiang Zemin (center left) takes part in the official handover ceremony, marking Britain's return of Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997, in Hong Kong. This ended 156 years of British colonial rule over the territory. Paul Lakatos/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Paul Lakatos/AFP/Getty ImagesChinese President Jiang Zemin (center left) takes part in the official handover ceremony, marking Britain's return of Hong Kong to China on July 1, 1997, in Hong Kong. This ended 156 years of British colonial rule over the territory.
Paul Lakatos/AFP/Getty ImagesIn 1997, Jiang oversaw the return of Hong Kong from British to Chinese control. Standing on the same stage as the then-Prince Charles of Britain, Jiang assured nervous residents that "Hong Kong residents shall enjoy various rights and freedoms according to law," under Chinese rule — an assurance critics say was eviscerated in 2020, when Beijing imposed a controversial national security law on the territory.
Later, Jiang fought to speed up China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 – bringing China in line with international legal norms, and forced it to open up hitherto-closed sectors of the economy.
His mark continues to be felt in China's military, which under his watch began an ambitious modernization effort to upgrade its weapons technology and management, an effort analysts credit with shaping it into a globally competitive fighting force now seen as a serious challenger to the American military dominance in Asia and feared by many to be threatening the democratic island of Taiwan.
Enlarge this imageChinese President Jiang Zemin inspects the People's Liberation Army garrison on July 2, 1998, in Hong Kong. Jiang came to Hong Kong for the celebrations of the first anniversary of the territory's return to Chinese rule and to open a new airport. Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty ImagesChinese President Jiang Zemin inspects the People's Liberation Army garrison on July 2, 1998, in Hong Kong. Jiang came to Hong Kong for the celebrations of the first anniversary of the territory's return to Chinese rule and to open a new airport.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images Morning Edition After decades focused on the Middle East, the U.S. military shifts to the PacificIn 2002, Jiang peacefully relinquished the title of party general secretary to his successor, Hu Jintao — the first and only orderly transition of power in Chinese Communist history. But he retained his position as chairman of the country's powerful Central Military Commission — the de facto commander in chief — until 2004.
A larger-than-life personalityIn person, Jiang was known for his larger-than-life personality, often displaying a theatrical streak that entertained world leaders and frustrated his dour Communist colleagues.
Enlarge this imageChina's President Jiang Zemin raises his glass in a toast during a state dinner held in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Oct. 26, 1997. The dinner was hosted by Hawaii Gov. Benjamin Cayetano (right) and his wife Vicky Cayetano (left). George F. Lee/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption George F. Lee/AFP via Getty ImagesChina's President Jiang Zemin raises his glass in a toast during a state dinner held in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Oct. 26, 1997. The dinner was hosted by Hawaii Gov. Benjamin Cayetano (right) and his wife Vicky Cayetano (left).
George F. Lee/AFP via Getty Images"Back then, we all found him very annoying. Jiang had many flaws. He was attention-seeking, and liked performing," Zhang Ming, a retired political science professor in Beijing, told NPR several years ago.
Sponsor MessageJiang delighted in quoting the Gettysburg Address in English and singing in public. During various state functions over the years, he danced cha-cha with then-Philippine President Fidel Ramos while delivering a rendition of Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender, picked a Hawaiian guitar while festooned with a flower lei, and waltzed to an accordion with the wife of French President Jacques Chirac.
YouTubeWith a wide grin, khaki pants hiked way above the waist and his trademark coke-bottle glasses, Jiang also became an unlikely pop culture icon among young Chinese born long after his party chairmanship ended. His resemblance to a cartoon amphibian spawned a generation of popular memes dubbed "toad worship" on Chinese social media platforms such as WeChat.
"Too simple, sometimes naïve," he chastised a Hong Kong reporter in 2000 — now a popular internet quip.
Jiang's rule "feels more and more in the past"As cloistered leader, Jiang was never a man of the people, but Zhang, the retired professor, believes Jiang will be remembered fondly.
"In retrospect, we feel his era was alright. We miss it," Zhang said. "That is the tragedy of China. The country hasn't changed for the better, so we miss the past."
Increasingly, Jiang's rule feels more and more in the past as the market-oriented, internationally minded China he presided over crumbles under current party leader Xi Jinping, who has rebuilt absolute party control over Chinese society.
Images of Jiang impatiently checking his watch and snoozing as Xi Jinping laid out his vision for a "new era" of China during the 19th Party Congress, a national gathering of party representative, went viral in 2017.
Enlarge this imageFormer Chinese President Jiang Zemin checks his wristwatch during the opening session of China's 19th Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on Oct. 18, 2017. Chinese President Xi Jinping was at the podium giving a 3 1/2-hour speech to outline his grand vision for a "new era" of China. Mark Schiefelbein/AP hide caption
toggle caption Mark Schiefelbein/APFormer Chinese President Jiang Zemin checks his wristwatch during the opening session of China's 19th Party Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, on Oct. 18, 2017. Chinese President Xi Jinping was at the podium giving a 3 1/2-hour speech to outline his grand vision for a "new era" of China.
Mark Schiefelbein/APChina analysts say Jiang's political influence and health waned in his old age. In recent years, Xi purged Jiang's loyalists, especially in the military, once one of Jiang's political strongholds, through his controversial anti-corruption campaign.
World All the president's men: Why succession may pose a problem for Xi Jinping and ChinaJiang was not present at the last party congress in October, where Xi secured a landmark third term in power. Rumors of Jiang's death have circled for years, but each time he would reappear in public days later.
This time, however, the rumors were true.
Enlarge this imagePresident Jiang Zemin arrives to preside over the Hong Kong handover ceremony on June 30, 1997, in Hong Kong. South China Morning Post via Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption South China Morning Post via Getty ImagesPresident Jiang Zemin arrives to preside over the Hong Kong handover ceremony on June 30, 1997, in Hong Kong.
South China Morning Post via Getty ImagesJohn Ruwitch contributed to this story.
China chinese politics chinese leaders Jiang Zemin下一篇：Journalist Maria Ressa explains 'How to Stand Up to a Dictator'
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