Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin died yesterday at the age of 96 due to leukemia and multiple organ failure, according to the official Chinese news agency. Since the crackdown on protests in Tiananmen Square, observers say he has retained influence in political life even after his official retirement. .
When former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping appointed Jiang Zemin as his successor in 1989, China was at the beginning of a process of economic modernization. When Jiang stepped down as president in 2003, China became a member of the World Trade Organization, a superpower.
Analysts believe that the former mayor and head of the Communist Party of Shanghai, Jiang Zemin, continued to influence China’s political life, along with a close circle of leaders, even after his official retirement. Zemin is married to Wang Yiping and they have two sons.
