The former Chinese president Jiang Zemin, who led his country out of isolation after the crushing of pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square and supported economic reforms that led to a decade of explosive growth, has died aged 96. Jiang died from leukaemia and multiple organ failure in Shanghai at 12.13pm local time, the official Xinhua news agency said The Guardian
Month: November 2022
From blank paper to alpacas: how protesters in China are voicing their anger – video
The largest protests in a generation erupted in cities across China over the weekend against the government’s zero-Covid policy. The most widely used symbol in the demonstrations has been a blank sheet of paper. It symbolises censorship, and may also, some Twitter users pointed out, be read as a reference to the deaths last week of 10 people in a building fire in Urumqi, Xinjiang, which was blamed on lockdown restrictions that protesters believe prevented the residents from escaping in time. In China, white is a colour used at funerals. But…
Protesters clash with hazmat suit-clad riot police in Guangzhou, China – video
Protesters scuffled with police on Tuesday night, according to witnesses and footage. Video shared on social media shows security personnel in hazmat suits forming shoulder-to-shoulder ranks and taking cover under riot shields to make their way down a street in Haizhu district as protesters threw objects. On Wednesday afternoon, authorities announced a lifting of Covid lockdowns in about half of the districts across the southern city of Guangzhou. The easing of restrictions, which came despite rising cases in the city, did not extend to all districts, including parts of Haizhu.…
South Korea Scrambles Jets After Chinese, Russian Warplanes Approach
South Korea’s military said it scrambled fighter jets Wednesday as six Russian and two Chinese warplanes entered its air defense zone without notice. Japan’s military also said it had scrambled jets in response to flights over the Sea of Japan, also known as the East Sea, by Russian and Chinese aircraft. Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said the Chinese H-6 bombers repeatedly entered and exited the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) near South Korea’s southern and northeastern coasts early Wednesday. Hours later they returned to the zone from…
Migrant Workers Fuel Protests Over China’s ‘Zero Covid’ Restrictions
The Haizhu District of Guangzhou, where the clashes took place, is a center of garment production, and tens of thousands of migrant workers from rural China make a living in small factories, shops and diners that cram its streets. But there and across much of China, Covid restrictions on work and travel have added to a wider economic slowdown and pushed many small businesses into closure or bankruptcy, leaving migrant workers struggling to make a living. “People don’t have anywhere to vent their frustration,” said a local resident surnamed Hu,…
Jiang Zemin obituary
Jiang Zemin, who has died aged 96, was put in charge of the Chinese Communist party as its general secretary in May 1989 amid the turmoil of Tiananmen Square, in a move that destroyed any chance of a peaceful outcome to the protests. By siding with the conservative forces who bloodily suppressed the students’ call for democracy and reform, Jiang secured his succession to the presidency four years later. By the time he retired in 2002, China had been transformed. Shopping centres rose along the Avenue of Everlasting Peace, where…
Jiang Zemin: Former Chinese leader dies aged 96
“During the serious political turmoil in China in the spring and summer of 1989, Comrade Jiang Zemin supported and implemented the correct decision of the Party Central Committee to oppose unrest, defend the socialist state power and safeguard the fundamental interests of the people,” it said. BBC
‘People want to live’: views from China on the Covid lockdown protests
Protests against China’s zero-Covid policy have continued in cities including Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu. The protests are a remarkable expression of defiance in a country where this type of public dissent is rare. They often feature people holding up blank sheets of paper, symbolising censorship. Four people in various Chinese cities spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity to share their views on the protests. ‘I’ve seen very mixed reactions’ Yun*, living in Shanghai “We were at the protest in the heart of Shanghai from around 2pm [on Sunday]…
China Vows Crackdown on ‘Hostile Forces’ as Public Tests Xi
Beijing — China’s ruling Communist Party has vowed to “resolutely crack down on infiltration and sabotage activities by hostile forces,” following the largest street demonstrations in decades staged by citizens fed up with strict anti-virus restrictions. The statement from the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission released late Tuesday comes amid a massive show of force by security services to deter a recurrence of the protests that broke out over the weekend in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and several other cities. While it did not directly address the protests, the statement…
Jiang Zemin, Who Guided China’s Economic Rise, Dies
Jiang Zemin, who led China out of isolation after the army crushed the Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests in 1989 and supported economic reforms that led to a decade of explosive growth, died Wednesday. He was 96. Jiang, who was president for a decade until 2003 and led the ruling Communist Party for 13 years until 2002, died of leukemia and multiple organ failure in Shanghai, state media reported. The party declared him a “great proletarian revolutionary” and “long-tested communist fighter.” Jiang’s death comes after the party faced its most widespread…