“The Jiang era wasn’t exactly that great when it was unfolding, but in contrast to where China is today you will have a lot of people are who are genuinely nostalgic,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SoasS China Institute. The economy is slowing in part because of these restrictions and authorities have extended their reach into citizens’ homes, personal lives and leisure time. Xi in contrast has isolated China with Covid regulations and aggressive foreign policy. The economy grew rapidly, he oversaw entry into the World Trade Organization which spurred growth, and the government loosened controls on citizens’ private lives. ![]() Jiang shepherded China out of the international isolation that followed the massacre around Tiananmen Square. It was an era that saw harsh repression – including of the Falun Gong religious group – but in some ways was the diametric opposite of Xi’s China. Jiang did not inspire the same public affection in China as Hu did three decades ago, but nonetheless, many in China may look back fondly on the time when he ran the country. The 1989 Tiananmen protests that triggered Jiang’s own elevation to the top of China’s Communist party, and later head of government, had their roots in mourning for reformist premier Hu Yaobang. ![]() There is a tradition in China of using public mourning gatherings for past leaders to express discontent with the current regime. Jiang’s death could hardly have come at a worse time for China’s current leader, Xi Jinping.
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