Jiang Zemin: Chinese former leader dies aged 96
Hard-line reactionaries and reformers engaged in a vicious power battle at the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party as a result of the incident.
Boakyewaa Lawrencia 
Former Chinese President Jiang Zemin, who took office following the Tiananmen Square riots, passed away at the age of 96.
He died on Wednesday shortly after noon, according to state media.
He ruled over a period of wide-scale opening up and rapid growth, making him one of the key characters in recent Chinese history.
He was criticized for carrying out a harsh crackdown on the religious cult Falun Gong in 1999, while overseeing the peaceful handover of Hong Kong in 1997.
Jiang came to power following the brutal crackdown on demonstrators in and around Tiananmen Square in Beijing in 1989, which caused China to become isolated globally.
Hard-line reactionaries and reformers engaged in a vicious power battle at the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party as a result of the incident.
Jiang, who had previously been seen as a plodding bureaucrat, was consequently promoted to a high position.
In the hopes that he would bring together conservative and more liberal elements, he was chosen as the compromise leader.
