President Xi eulogizes late leader, Jiang Zemin

Chinese president Xi Jinping and communist leaders praised the late leader Jiang Zemin on Tuesday in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Jiang died of leukemia and multiple organ failure in Shanghai, on Nov. 30 at the age of 96.

Xi recalled Jiang’s lengthy political career, in an hour-long address as senior officials and military brass stood at attention. Jiang was president for a decade, and led the ruling Communist Party for 13 years until 2002. He oversaw the handover of Hong Kong from British rule in 1997 and Beijing’s entry into the World Trade Organization in 2001.

People in Beijing also observed three minutes of silence to mourn Jiang Zemin on Tuesday morning, while air raid sirens and horns on automobiles, trains and ships wailed in grief.