Almost a week after the death of former Premier Zhu Rongji, the “economic czar” who pushed China to liberalize its market and helped turn it into a power, President Xi Jinping led on Monday the commemorative event for the centenary of the birth of the late leader Jiang Zemin, of whom Zhu was precisely his trusted man.
Before thousands of officials and delegates in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Xi delivered a 40-minute speech in which he highlighted Jiang’s contributions to the Communist Party and the country. According to the South China Morning Post, it was “a display of political continuity and party unity ahead of the important power reshuffle planned for next year.”
In fact, the Hong Kong newspaper detailed that at the ceremony a large portrait of Jiang was displayed above the podium, a practice reserved for deceased former leaders such as Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping. The seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee, along with a long list of retired state leaders, attended the ceremony as a show of solidarity within the party.
Among them were former Premier Wen Jiabao, who held office from 2003 to 2013, and former Vice Presidents Wang Qishan and Zeng Qinghong. Former President Hu Jintao, who is believed to be ill, was absent.
Members of Jiang’s family, as well as people who worked with him, also attended the ceremony, according to Prime Minister Li Qiang, who moderated the event. Xi, Li, and other senior leaders met with Jiang’s family before the ceremony, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
The commemorative event for Jiang’s centenary was held a year before the 21st National Party Congress, which will take place next autumn. The new leadership will be presented there, and Xi Jinping is expected to secure another five-year term as party leader, the South China Morning Post indicated.
Xi Jinping praised a long list of Jiang Zemin’s achievements, from his political loyalty to the party and economic development to foreign and defense policy, drawing clear parallels with his own government priorities, such as the fight against corruption, a firm stance on the party’s undisputed right to govern, and decisive leadership in times of crisis.
“During the 13 years (of his leadership), the international situation was complex and volatile, and Jiang led the party by firmly defending the party line,” Xi declared. The Chinese president urged the entire party to learn from Jiang’s “solid political conviction,” praising him for his unwavering commitment to the party’s line and policies.
Jiang, who died in 2022 at the age of 96, disproved skeptics and led the country through a decade of rapid economic growth following the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. His government colleague, the pragmatic former Premier Zhu Rongji, died last week, and his funeral is scheduled for Tuesday.
The ruling Communist Party’s official obituary praised Zhu’s role during a “crucial stage” when the country was “transitioning from a planned economy to a socialist market economy.” It also highlighted Zhu’s “deep affection” for the people.
Under Jiang and Zhu’s leadership, China pushed through painful changes: the closure of chronically loss-making state-owned enterprises, the dismantling of the old housing system in favor of a commercial real estate market, overcoming the late 1990s Asian financial crisis, and joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001.
Xi now faces significant challenges of his own as he tries to navigate trade frictions with the United States and Europe, tensions over Taiwan, slower economic growth, and demographic decline.
“On the new path ahead of us, we must increase our vigilance against potential dangers,” Xi said during Monday’s event.
“With an indomitable fighting spirit and great skill in confrontation,” we must “proactively face the great tests posed by strong winds and turbulent waters, and even the fiercest storms,” he added.
Xi commented: “We must firmly defend our national sovereignty, our security, and our development interests, thus writing a new chapter in the two great miracles of rapid economic development and long-term social stability.”
The Chinese president mentioned the Tiananmen pro-democracy protests in the long list of achievements attributed to Jiang and praised the Communist Party’s decision to reject those protests.
“Between the spring and summer of 1989, China experienced a severe political convulsion. Comrade Jiang Zemin supported and firmly implemented the correct decisions of the Central Committee, effectively maintaining stability in Shanghai,” he added.
Regarding this, CNN highlighted that Jiang’s rise to the top began amid the turmoil of the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, which were brutally suppressed by Chinese troops in what remains one of the most sensitive political taboos in mainland China.
The protests began in April, triggered by the death of former Chinese Communist Party leader Hu Yaobang at age 73. Considered by the public as a defender of liberalization, Hu had been ousted two years earlier, and his death on April 15 was mourned by many.
Days later, thousands of grieving students marched through Beijing, demanding a more democratic government in honor of Hu. Protesters gathered in Tiananmen Square, and their numbers grew over several weeks until June 4, when troops of the People’s Liberation Army opened fire on them.
Beijing has banned public commemorations of the Tiananmen Square massacre, where the Chinese Army killed at least 10,000 pro-democracy protesters, according to the British newspaper The Independent. The Communist Party’s ban on June commemorations has extended to Hong Kong and Macau following pro-democracy protests in the former British colony.
Jiang unexpectedly became General Secretary of the Communist Party shortly after the crackdown, partly because the person he replaced, Zhao Ziyang, was considered too sympathetic to the protesters. By 1993, he was China’s undisputed leader, CNN detailed.
Xi also praised Jiang for never yielding on sovereignty, listing achievements such as the return of Hong Kong in 1997 and Macau in 1999. Next year marks the 30th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to Chinese sovereignty.
The Chinese president also praised Jiang for his firm stance against “Taiwan independence.” “Jiang promoted the achievement of the 1992 consensus between both sides of the Taiwan Strait, which enshrines the principle of one China, and vigorously fought separatism and Taiwan independence,” he stated.
According to the verbal agreement reached in 1992 during Jiang’s tenure between Beijing and Taiwan’s then ruling party, the Kuomintang, both sides agreed on the existence of “one China,” but disagreed on how that concept should be interpreted.
Xi also praised the former president for recognizing the “strategic opportunity period” China faced, announced in 2002 after its accession to the World Trade Organization. During Jiang’s era, the Chinese economy experienced rapid growth and opened to the world, culminating in its WTO entry in 2001, supported by the United States. This was followed by a period of intense economic growth, with improved relations between Washington and Beijing. However, in recent years, bilateral ties have deteriorated, marked by frequent trade tensions and growing geopolitical rivalries.
Xi’s second meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump is scheduled for late September, where both leaders are expected to address issues such as trade relations, artificial intelligence, and Taiwan, among others.
In his Monday speech, also broadcast and published by state media, Xi praised the country’s achievements, stating that “people’s lives continue to improve,” despite data showing a slowdown in economic growth, according to CNN.
“The prospects for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation are promising, and the dream for which several generations have fought with unwavering determination is gradually becoming a reality,” he added.
Xie Maosong, senior researcher at the National Institute of Strategic Studies at Tsinghua University, said Xi’s speech served as “a retrospective of Jiang’s life, highlighting points of continuity and alignment with the party’s current priorities.”
Xi’s praise of Jiang’s tenure—specifically, that “governing the country requires first governing the party, and governing the party must be strict”—echoed the theme of the 5th Plenum of the 20th Central Committee, to be held in October, Xie noted.
The Politburo announced in July that the conclave would focus on “consistently exercising full and strict governance of the party,” the South China Morning Post pointed out.
Under the same motto, the anti-corruption campaign has toppled high-ranking officials of increasingly senior ranks and at a faster pace than many thought possible, with no sign of slowing as it approaches its fifteenth year under Xi’s leadership.
According to the Japanese agency Kyodo, Xi’s statements on Monday, in which he praised Jiang’s “firm decisions” and responses to challenges at “key historical moments” to ensure the country’s steady progress, apparently aimed to boost morale within the ruling Communist Party and loyalty to its leadership ahead of the party congress, held twice a decade and scheduled for 2027.
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