Chinese President Xi Jinping praised Jiang Zemin as a leader who led China¡¯s boom despite Western pressure and domestic turmoil after the Tiananmen crackdown, using his predecessor¡¯s memorial service to bolster his own assertive agenda.
Xi credited Jiang, who took power right after Chinese troops crushed pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square in 1989, with carrying out the Communist Party¡¯s ¡°correct decision¡± to resolve what he described only as a ¡°severe political disturbance.¡± While Xi¡¯s remarks Tuesday reiterated the party¡¯s view on the incident, it also served as warning in light of protests that have sprung up in recent weeks to challenge Xi¡¯s ¡°zero-COVID¡± policies.
¡°Some Western countries imposed so-called sanctions against China, posing unprecedented difficulties and pressure for the development of China¡¯s socialism,¡± Xi recounted for party leaders assembled in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, draped with black instead of the usual red.
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