Death of Chinese leader Jiang Zemin raises new challenge for Xi

The death of former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin poses another challenge for current Chinese President Xi Jinping, providing a potential rally point for people disillusioned by stringent COVID zero measures and a flagging economy.

Jiang's death at the age of 96, announced on Wednesday by state media, comes days after people took to the streets to challenge the virus curbs in China's most widespread protests in decades. While the demonstrations have since subsided, efforts to mourn the fallen leader who took steps to open the Asian nation to the world could provide a fresh impetus for gatherings that turn into a platform to criticize Xi.

After the death of such a big figure in Chinese politics, some people may write articles, people may have gatherings, and this would be legal and allowed, said Chen Gang, an assistant director and senior research fellow at the East Asian Institute of National University of Singapore. If such activities continue, people can make the difference between the current situation and the previous leader. It's possible that there will be a backlash effect on the current administration. This could be due to a conflict with your ad blocking or security software. You can add jp and piano.io to your list of allowed sites. If this does not resolve the issue or you are unable to add the domains to your allowlist, please see this FAQ. We apologize for the inconvenience.