Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin Dies At 96

Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese leader who presided over a decade of the country’s economic growth following the Tiananmen Square protests, has died aged 96.

According to a Communist Party letter published by state media Xinhua, Jiang passed away on Wednesday afternoon in his home city of Shanghai due to leukemia and multiple organ failure. The letter called Jiang’s death an “immeasurable loss to the party, the military and the people of all ethic groups.”

Jiang was the general secretary of the Communist Party from 1989 to 2002, and the president of China from 1993 to 2003. He stepped down from the party leadership in 2002, handing over the helm to Hu Jintao in China’s first peaceful and orderly power transition since the 1949 revolution. He was said to have wielded a great deal of political power within the party long after he retired, oftentimes holding sway over appointments to the party’s top leadership positions.

Jiang rose to China’s top job after the country’s bloody 1989 crackdown on student-led protests that took place in Tiananmen Square. Under his leadership, China continued the economic reforms started by Deng Xiaoping that would eventually turn the nation into the world’s biggest market after the U.S. A signature achievement of Jiang was China’s ascension to the World Trade Organization in 2001, which opened many industries to foreign investment and allowed multinationals to begin operating in the country. He also oversaw China’s bid to become the host of the 2008 Olympics.

However, Jiang’s administration also took a tough stance against dissent. The former Chinese leader oversaw the clampdown on the Falun Gong spiritual movement, which led to the detention of hundreds and thousands of the group’s followers.

Jiang was born in 1926 in Yangzhou, a city in Jiangsu province. His given name, Zemin, translates to “benefiting the people.” After earning a degree in electrical engineering from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Jiang worked in a variety of different industries before joining the government, where he quickly rose through the party’s ranks.