On Wednesday, former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who rose to power following the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre, died in Shanghai at the age of 96 from leukaemia and multiple organ failure. The Chinese Communist Party (CPC) said in a statement that Jiang’s death has consumed the entire party, military, and nation with “profound grief.”
Calling the former president an “outstanding leader” who enjoyed “high prestige” within the CPC, military, and the Chinese people, the statement said Jiang was “a great Marxist, a great proletarian revolutionary, statesman, military strategist and diplomat.”
“We profoundly mourn Comrade Jiang and will turn grief into strength to work in a concerted effort to build a modern socialist country in all aspects,” said President Xi Jinping.
I extend my profound condolences on the sad demise of former President of China, Jiang Zemin.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) November 30, 2022
Late President was a wise leader and a statesman. In Pakistan, we fondly remember him as a great friend who made valuable contributions in strengthening Pakistan-China relations.
Xi has been announced as the chairman of Jiang’s funeral committee, which consists of other current and former senior party leaders. China expert Bill Bishop said in his newsletter ‘Sinocism’ that “if [former leader] Deng Xiaoping’s 1997 memorial service is the template then there will likely be a large gathering at the Great Hall of the People, probably by early next week.”
According to reports, there was a massive outpouring of grief among Chinese people across the country. The BBC reported that despite the Chinese government censoring and filtering content about Jiang, millions of social media users have left positive comments about the former president. According to Reuters, numerous people took to popular social media outlets like Sina Weibo to describe Jiang’s death as the end of an era.
People even gathered in his hometown of Yangzhou to leave flowers outside historical buildings and sites.
Jiang took critical steps in the early days of the internet in China to build the system today known as the Great Firewall, cutting off Chinese users from the rest of the world. See this report and of course, @JamesGriffith bookhttps://t.co/yAz8L1ch9X
— Sarah Cook (@Sarah_G_Cook) November 30, 2022
Chinese newspapers on Thursday blacked out their front pages; several e-commerce platforms like Taobao and JD.com also turned their home pages black. Furthermore, Chinese flags in government buildings and Chinese embassies were put at half-mast.
Authorities have not yet announced a date for the funeral, saying “foreign governments, political parties and friendly personages will not be invited” to send delegations for the funeral.
There have only been a few international reactions so far, with India, the United States, and the United Kingdom choosing to remain silent. However, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Xi, saying Jiang was a “dear friend” to Russia and whose contribution to building China-Russia ties remains “invaluable.”
“The bright memory of such an authoritative politician and a wonderful person will forever remain in my heart,” he said.
I am deeply saddened by the passing away of former president of the People’s Republic of China Mr. Jiang Zemin.He was a great friend and well wisher of Nepal.
— Sher Bahadur Deuba (@SherBDeuba) December 1, 2022
I would like to express my deepest condolences to the Government and the people of China and the bereaved family members.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said he is “deeply saddened” by Jiang’s death. Calling Jiang a “steadfast advocate for international engagement,” Guterres said his tenure saw “substantial economic progress” and China’s accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
European Council President Charles Michel and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida also sent their condolences to Jiang’s family. Furthermore, the UN Security Council passed a resolution sponsored by Russia mourning Jiang’s death and expressing the “deepest sympathy” to China.
Jiang’s death has left behind both a storied and a troubled legacy, with many praising him for carrying forward former paramount leader Deng Xiaoping’s open market reforms and others blaming him for actively suppressing the student-led Democracy Movement, which ended with the Tiananmen Square massacre on 3 June 1989, when soldiers deployed to quell the demonstrations used assault rifles and tanks against unarmed protesters. The government is reported to have killed anywhere between 200 and 10,000 people.
I express my sincere condolences on the passing of former President Jiang Zemin to the people of China and to President Xi Jinping.
— Charles Michel (@CharlesMichel) November 30, 2022
Jiang’s legacy lay in his ability to steer the Chinese economy successfully through a turbulent period. Although he did not introduce any new economic policies during his tenure from 1993 to 2003, Jiang successfully ensured that Deng’s economic reforms continued steadily. He oversaw events that opened China to the world, including Beijing’s entry into the World Trade Organization, despite the international community shunning China’s brutal crackdown on the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
Jiang’s time in power was also tainted by reports of widespread corruption, suppression of dissent, and the jailing of human rights and pro-democracy activists.
Aside from the Democracy Movement in 1989, Jiang also cracked down on Falun Gong, a meditation group formed in the 90s that gained thousands of followers, including military officers. Furthermore, those involved in trying to establish the opposition China Democracy Party were sentenced to up to 12 years in prison on subversion charges. In fact, one of his iconic phrases during this time was “Stability above all else.”
This video of Jiang Zemin is circulating on Chinese internet. People are reminiscing the good old days of the Jiang era — the years when there were sparkles in people’s eyes, to quote a few people pic.twitter.com/UJo6hfhDsj
— Li Yuan (@LiYuan6) November 30, 2022
He was also in power when the United Kingdom returned Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997 and when Portugal returned Macao in 1999.
Jiang’s death has coincided with ongoing protests across China over stringent COVID-19 restrictions. Over the past week, protests broke out in Beijing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Zhenzhou, Guangzhou, Lanzhou, and Chengdu. Protesters have even called for the downfall of Xi and demanded democratic reforms.
Protests, largely unheard of in mainland China since Xi took office ten years ago, have become more frequent in recent months as public frustration mounts over his administration’s inflexible public health strategy, which has dragged on for almost three years.
Not an uncomplicated legacy. Not overly liberal, but Jiang Zemin did open the 🇨🇳 economy further, tripled the size of its economy and handled issues with the 🇺🇸 relatively well. pic.twitter.com/pGsXQwOVqe
— Carl Bildt (@carlbildt) November 30, 2022
The trigger for the ongoing protests seems to be the death of ten people who had been trapped in their residences after a fire broke out in a high-rise building in Xinjiang’s capital city of Urumqi last week. People have blamed authorities for delaying rescue efforts due to containment measures.
Much of the city’s 4 million residents have been living under one of the country’s longest lockdowns and have been barred from leaving their houses for over 100 days. In fact, security forces have been seen bolting or locking residents’ doors and gates from the outside so as to prevent them from escaping.
While the extreme strategy has kept China’s infection rate lower than that of the United States, it has taken a toll on citizens’ finances, mental health, and their opinion of the government. Moreover, it is becoming increasingly evident that the strict measures are not doing much to contain the virus either, with around 40,000 new cases being reported daily.