Chinese President, Who Guided China Into Global Market After Tiananmen Crackdown, Dies At 96

Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who remained in power for a decade till 2002, has died at the age of 96. 

What Happened: Jiang died on Wednesday in Shanghai due to leukemia and multiple organ failure, the state-owned Xinhua news agency reported. 

The announcement was made by Xi Jinping's ruling Communist Party, parliament, Cabinet and the military to its people.

See Also: Xi Jinping’s Mouthpiece Slams US And Britain, Justifies Crackdown On Protestors As Way ‘To Protect Our People’s Lives’

“Comrade Jiang Zemin’s death is an incalculable loss to our Party and our military and our people of all ethnic groups,” the government said in a letter with “profound grief.”

The letter called the former president as “our beloved Comrade Jiang Zemin” and described him as an outstanding leader of high prestige, a great Marxist, statesman, military strategist and diplomat and a long-tested communist fighter.

Jiang was plucked from obscurity to lead China following the bloody 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square. He presided over more than a decade of dramatic economic growth and guided China toward World Trade Organization membership, which led to a surge in foreign investments. During his tenure till 2002 as party secretary, Beijing's economy more than tripled in size.

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

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