Jiang Zemin

Jiang Zemin was a Chinese politician who served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1989 to 2002, as the chairman of the Central Military Commission from 1989 to 2004, and as the president of China from 1993 to 2003. He was the third paramount leader of China from 1989 to 2002, and the core of the third generation of the CCP leadership. He was one of the five core leaders of China, along with Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping. Jiang was born in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, in 1926. He joined the CCP while he was studying electrical engineering at the National Central University (later renamed Nanjing University). After the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949, he received training at the Stalin Automobile Works in Moscow in the 1950s, and later returned to Shanghai in 1962 to work in various institutes. He was sent to Romania as part of an expert team to establish machinery manufacturing plants from 1970 to 1972. Jiang rose to prominence in the 1980s, when he became the mayor and party chief of Shanghai, China's largest and most prosperous city. He was chosen by Deng Xiaoping as the successor of Zhao Ziyang, who was ousted for his sympathetic stance towards the pro-democracy protesters in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Jiang became the general secretary of the CCP and the chairman of the Central Military Commission in the same year, and the president of China in 1993. Jiang presided over a period of rapid economic growth, market reforms, and social stability in China. He reduced state ownership and control of some of China's industries, and sought to improve relations with the United States and other countries. He oversaw the peaceful handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China in 1997, and China's entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001. He also developed his own political ideology, known as the Theory of Three Represents, which aimed to broaden the base of the CCP and make it more responsive to the changing needs of the society. Jiang faced challenges and criticisms during his tenure, such as the suppression of the Falun Gong spiritual movement, the corruption scandals involving some of his allies, the tensions with Taiwan over its political status, and the growing social inequalities and environmental problems in China. He also had to deal with the aftermath of the 9 ,11 attacks and the US-led war on terror, which affected China's security and foreign policy interests. Jiang retired from his official positions in 2002 and 2004, and was succeeded by Hu Jintao. However, he retained considerable influence and clout in the CCP, especially through his protégés in the so-called Shanghai faction. He was seen as a rival of Hu Jintao and Xi Jinping, who represented different factions and visions within the party. Jiang was also involved in the power struggle and purge of Bo Xilai, a charismatic and ambitious politician who was seen as a threat to the established order. Jiang died in Shanghai on November 30, 2022, at the age of 96, from leukemia and multiple organ failure. He was given a state funeral at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on December 6, 2022, and was cremated at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery. He was praised by the CCP and the state media as an outstanding leader and a great Marxist, and was mourned by millions of Chinese people. He was also remembered by the international community as a pragmatic and influential figure who shaped China's rise in the 21st century.