He had come to power the day after the crackdown on protests in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and had accompanied the transformation of the most populous nation in the world into a world power.
“Jiang Zemin died of leukemia and multiple organ failure in Shanghai at 12:13 p.m. (Wednesday) November 30, 2022, at the age of 96,” Xinhua reported.
When Jiang Zemin was officially appointed in 1989 by former leader Deng Xiaoping as his successor, China was only at the beginning of its economic modernization.
When Mr. Jiang stepped down as president in 2003, China had become a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), had won the hosting of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was on its way to becoming a superpower.
Former mayor and head of the Communist Party in Shanghai, Jiang Zemin continued, with a close circle of leaders, to exert influence on Chinese political life even after his official retirement, according to analysts.
He leaves behind his wife Wang Yeping and two sons.