Beijing: China’s top leadership led by President Xi Jinping along with former president Hu Jintao, in his first public appearance since being unexpectedly escorted out from the Great Hall of the People six weeks ago, have paid their tributes to former leader Jiang Zemin who died last week, state television reported.
Jiang, 96, passed away because of leukemia and multi-organ failure in Shanghai last week and his remains were cremated at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery located in the western periphery of Beijing on Monday.
Hu was among the CPC’s top leadership who paid their respects to Jiang at a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) general hospital in Beijing on Monday before the former leader’s remains were cremated, national broadcaster, CCTV reported.
Sirens sounded across the country and a three-minute silence was observed at 10am on Tuesday as China grieved Jiang amid tight security around the Great Hall of the People and choreographed mourning activities on Tuesday.
The CPC leaders and dignitaries who attended the memorial service on Tuesday wore white chrysanthemums, a traditional Chinese symbol used during mourning rituals.
Delivering nearly an hour-length speech on Tuesday, Xi spoke in glowing and admiring terms about Jiang and gave him credit for implementing the Communist Party’s “correct decision” to resolve what he described only as a “severe political disturbance”, according to a Reuters copy.
Xi did not mention the Tiananmen protests of 1989 when China deployed the military against its own unarmed citizens who were demanding political freedom in Beijing.
Jiang came to power in the aftermath of the Tiananmen square protests and is credited to have pulled China back in the international mainstream after Beijing faced global censure for its treatment of protesters.
In a commentary, the official Chinese media declared Jiang a “great proletarian revolutionary” and “long-tested Communist fighter.”
“Jiang Zemin was an outstanding leader enjoying high prestige acknowledged by the whole Communist Party of China (CPC), the entire military and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups,” official news agency, Xinhua, said in the commentary.
It wasn’t clear whether Hu also attended Tuesday’s event at the Great Hall of the People.
On Monday, he was seen walking unsteadily across the room with an attendant walking closely by his side inside the PLA general hospital where Jiang’s body had been kept.
Unexpected political theatre was played out in front of domestic and international media at the Great Hall of the People on October 22 when former President Hu – Jiang’s immediate successor – was escorted out of the venue of the twice-a-decade CPC national congress by aides without any explanation initially.
Looking confused as he was being led away by an attendant, Hu initially resisted but eventually had to submit to be taken away from the stage with most other leaders – including Xi who was sitting next to him – barely reacting to the development.
The official Xinhua News Agency said in a tweet hours later that Hu felt unwell and needed to rest, but that, “now, he is much better”.
“Xinhuanet reporter Liu Jiawen has learned that Hu Jintao insisted on attending the closing session of the Party’s 20th National Congress, despite the fact that he has been taking time to recuperate recently,” the late night Xinhua statement said.
“When he was not feeling well during the session, his staff, for his health, accompanied him to a room next to the meeting venue for a rest. Now, he is much better.”
“Hu’s presence at official ceremonies honouring Jiang shows Xi trying to create an image of unity that bolsters his position as leader,” said Neil Thomas, a China analyst at Eurasia Group, a political risk advisory and consulting firm, told Bloomberg.
