Africa -China Review Africa -China Cooperation and Transformation
Published: December 01,2022
By Staff writer
The former president of China Jiang Zemin has died at the age of 96 according to China news agencies. Jiang Zemin passed away due to leukemia and multiple organ failure in Shanghai at 12:13 pm on Nov 30, 2022, news agencies announced on Wednesday. Jiang oversaw the peaceful handover of Hong Kong in 1997,and China’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001 which linked China with the global economy.Flags in China and overseas embassies and consulates are flying half-mast to mourn the former president.
In a letter announcing the death of the former president written by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and addressed to the entire party, says that, “ they proclaim with profound grief to the whole Party, the entire military and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups that our beloved Comrade Jiang Zemin died of leukemia and multiple organ failure after all medical treatments had failed.”
The letter further says that Jiang was the core of the CPC’s third generation of central collective leadership. Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, severe political disturbances erupted in the international arena and in China. World socialism experienced serious twists and turns. The development of China’s socialist cause faced unprecedented difficulties and pressures.
Jiang led the central collective leadership of the CPC and firmly relied on the whole Party, the entire military and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups to unequivocally uphold the Four Cardinal Principles, and safeguard national independence, dignity, security and stability. He also unswervingly took economic development as the central task, adhered to reform and opening-up, defended the great cause of socialism with Chinese characteristics, and broke new ground in China’s reform and opening-up as well as socialist modernization.
He stressed that it is imperative to stick to the principle of coordinating the development of national defense and the economy, and work to make the people’s armed forces more revolutionary, modern and standardized.
He underscored comprehensively promoting the development of the people’s armed forces by following the overall requirements of building politically and militarily competent armed forces with fine conduct, strict discipline, and strong logistical support, and focusing on the historic issue of ensuring that the armed forces could fight to win while never degrading in character.
He stressed unwaveringly upholding absolute Party leadership over the people’s armed forces, always putting ideological and political integrity as a priority among all improvement efforts, and preserving the nature and the character of the military as the people’s armed forces.
He underscored the need to implement the military strategy of active defense and advance military transformation with Chinese characteristics. He stressed unswervingly following a distinctive Chinese approach of having fewer but better troops and achieving leapfrog development in the modernization of the armed forces, with the goal of developing informatized armed forces and winning informatizedwarfare.
He underscored the need to implement the strategy of strengthening the armed forces through science and technology, govern the military with strict discipline and in accordance with the law, build the armed forces through diligence and thrift, explore the characteristics and laws for running the army under new historical conditions, and advance with the times to promote the overall work of the armed forces.
Jiang stressed deepening structural reform of defense-related science, technology and industries, enhancing capacity for independent innovation, speeding up the development of weapons and equipment and national defense-related science and technology, and exploring a path of achieving relatively high returns with relatively low investments for military modernization.
He underscored the policies that suit both peacetime and wartime needs, integrate military with civilian purposes and combine military efforts with civilian support to improve the capacity for national defense mobilization, develop strategies and tactics for the people’s war under high-tech conditions, and consolidate unity between the government and the military and between the people and the military.
All these are of far-reaching guiding significance to modernizing national defense and the armed forces, according to the letter.
We must conscientiously study the Theory of Three Represents, learn from Jiang’s revolutionary spirit and demeanor, as well as his scientific attitude and creative spirit in applying Marxist stand, viewpoints and methods to studying new circumstances and solving new problems. We must strive in unity to build our country into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful, according to the letter.
The cause of the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation is the crystallization of the painstaking efforts and endeavor of generations of communists including Comrade Jiang Zemin. On the journey ahead, the whole Party, the entire military, and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups must follow the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, hold high the great banner of socialism with Chinese characteristics, fully implement Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, carry forward the great founding spirit of the Party, maintain firm confidence, unite as one, forge ahead with resolve, and strive in unity to build a modern socialist country in all respects and advance national rejuvenation on all fronts.
We must conscientiously study the Theory of Three Represents, learn from Jiang’s revolutionary spirit and demeanor, as well as his scientific attitude and creative spirit in applying Marxist stand, viewpoints and methods to studying new circumstances and solving new problems. We must strive in unity to build our country into a great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious, and beautiful, according to the letter.
Africa China Review Publication and staff convey sincere condolences to the Chinese people, the CPC leadership and his family in these difficult times of mourning the death of a great patriot who contributed immensely to the development of China and the wellbeing of the Chinese people.
