Beijing-Jiang ZeminFormer Chinese leader who rose to power after the Tiananmen Square crackdown on democracy, protested and presided over market-oriented changes that turned China into a global economic powerhouse died of leukemia on wednesday, state media said. He was 96 years old.
Mr. Jiang retired as head of the Communist Party in 2002, stepped down as chairman in 2003, and stepped down as head of the party’s Central Military Commission the following year. Behind the scenes, he managed to exert substantial influence within the clandestine party elite, establishing allies in his successor’s leadership team. Hu Jintao, from retirement, party insiders say, he decisively supported Xi JinpingAscent to the leader of the party.