Jiang Zemin: Former Chinese leader dies aged 96 - BBC

China's erstwhile person Jiang Zemin, who came to powerfulness aft the Tiananmen Square protests, has died astatine 96.

State media said helium had died conscionable aft 12:00 section clip (04:00 GMT), successful Shanghai, connected Wednesday.

Jiang presided implicit a clip erstwhile China opened up connected a immense standard and saw high-speed growth.

His decease comes arsenic China sees immoderate of its astir superior protests since Tiananmen, with galore demonstrating against Covid restrictions.

A Chinese Communist Party connection said helium died of leukaemia and aggregate organ failure.

It added that helium was recognised "as an outstanding person with precocious prestige" and "a long-tested Communist fighter".

State media outlets, including the Global Times and the Xinhua quality agency, turned their websites achromatic and achromatic successful tribute.

State broadcaster CCTV lauded his relation aft the bloody 1989 crackdown connected protesters successful and astir Beijing's Tiananmen Square.

"During the superior governmental turmoil successful China successful the outpouring and summertime of 1989, Comrade Jiang Zemin supported and implemented the close determination of the Party Central Committee to reason unrest, support the socialist authorities powerfulness and safeguard the cardinal interests of the people," it said.

The lawsuit saw China ostracised internationally and sparked a bitter powerfulness conflict astatine the apical of the Communist Party betwixt hard-line reactionaries and reformers.

It led to Jiang, who had primitively been seen arsenic a plodding bureaucrat, being elevated to precocious office. He was chosen arsenic a compromise leader, successful the anticipation helium would unify hardliners and much wide elements.

Under his stewardship, a formidable system was forged, the Communists tightened their grip connected power, and China took its spot astatine the apical array of satellite powers.

He oversaw the peaceful handover of Hong Kong successful 1997, and China's introduction into the World Trade Organization successful 2001 which intertwined the state with the planetary economy.

But governmental reforms were besides enactment to 1 broadside and helium crushed interior dissent portion pursuing a hardline stance connected Taiwan. He was criticised for the heavy-handed crackdown connected the spiritual sect Falun Gong successful 1999, which was seen arsenic a menace to the Communist Party.

He was besides keen to guarantee that his presumption wrong the Communist Party was secure, and came up with his ain governmental ideology - the Three Represents mentation - successful an effort to modernise the party.

During his clip successful power, Jiang sought to fortify ties with the US, visiting the state respective times and offering then-president George W Bush co-operation successful Washington's "war connected terror" pursuing the 9/11 attacks.

In a state not known for its flamboyant leaders, helium was seen arsenic having a much colourful property than his successors. He memorably crooned Elvis Presley astatine a planetary summit, and went for a aquatics disconnected the Hawaiian coast.

In his aboriginal years helium withdrew from authorities and was seldom seen successful public. But adjacent arsenic helium became little conspicuous, online helium became an improbable taxable of viral net memes.

But others person warned against feeling nostalgic for the Jiang Zemin era.

Wang Dan, 1 of the 1989 pupil leaders who present lives extracurricular China, called him "a emblematic governmental opportunist".

"Jiang Zemin appeared to beryllium open-minded, but successful information helium tried to alteration backmost to a planned economy... but was stopped by Deng Xiaoping. He has ever been a blimpish politically," helium tweeted (in Chinese).

Some wonderment if Jiang's decease mightiness trigger much protests successful China present - conscionable arsenic the decease of erstwhile Chinese Communist Party main Hu Yaobang led to the Tiananmen Square protests 33 years ago.

But Rose Luqiu, an subordinate journalism prof astatine Hong Kong Baptist University, doesn't judge it's likely.

"He had disappeared from the nationalist presumption for a agelong time," she told the BBC.

Jiang's successors arsenic president, Hu Jintao - who was conspicuously removed from the CCP league past month - and Xi Jinping, are scheduled to be his funeral, according to a missive released by the authorities backed Global Times.

But the missive added that overseas leaders and governments volition not beryllium invited to the event. The ceremonial committee said the determination was successful keeping with what it called "China's practice".

Additional reporting by the BBC's Grace Tsoi