Chinese President Xi Jinping presided over a grand ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on August 17, 2026, commemorating the 100th anniversary of former leader Jiang Zemin’s birth [1, 2, 3]. The event brought together current and former senior officials, including Premier Li Qiang, Politburo Standing Committee members Wang Huning and Cai Qi, former Premier Wen Jiabao, and former Vice-President Wang Qishan [2].
Jiang Zemin served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1989 to 2002 and as President from 1993 to 2003 [2, 3]. Born on August 17, 1926, in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, Jiang died on November 30, 2022, in Shanghai at the age of 96 [3].
In his speech, Xi praised Jiang’s record of maintaining political stability during the late 1980s political turmoil, including the aftermath of the Tiananmen Square protests, and credited him with advancing China’s opening and reform policies, marked notably by China’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001 [2, 3]. Xi told attendees, "When we’re developing the economy, we have to make sure that we adhere to the party’s leadership," underscoring Jiang’s legacy of combining economic growth with firm Communist Party control [2].
Xi also called on the party and Chinese people to carry forward Jiang’s legacy and continue advancing socialism with Chinese characteristics [3]. This ceremony marked Xi’s first public appearance in roughly two weeks following the summer break when senior leaders gather in Beidaihe [2].
