Chinese Military Leader Jiang Zemin Hints at Resignation

Chinese Military Leader Jiang Zemin Hints at Resignation. September. 07, 2004 21:53. by Yoo-Seong Hwang yshwang@donga.com.

Jiang Zemin, former president of China and current chairman of the Chinese Central Military Commission, hinted at resignation in a recent meeting of Communist Party high officials, the New York Times reported on September 7.

Citing a reliable source in Beijing, the New York Times said that Jiang talked about his potential resignation from the top military post last weekend.

If Jiang decides to step down, the current vice president of the Central Military Commission, Hu Jintao, who succeeded Jiang as the president of China in 2002, will take over the post, becoming the unchallenged leader in China.

The principal issue that is to be discussed at the 16th national party meeting is said to be the consolidation of domination of the Communist Party. However, if what New York Times has reported turns out to be true, then the designation of the successor to Jiang is most likely to be the hot issue of the meeting.

However, since Chinese political leaders are known for not revealing their underlying intentions, some say that it is unclear whether Jiang really intends to step down from the top military office or not.

Some speculate that Jiang might have done a calculation in advance and that if he expresses his plans to step down from politics, he would be asked to remain as chairman of the Central Military Commission, or be put in charge of another influential position in the government.

Also, there are people saying that Jiang’s hints at resignation are the outcome of a power struggle within the Chinese leadership headed by Hu.

The latest edition of the U.S. weekly magazine Time mentioned a fabricated photo released by a local Shanghai newspaper in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Deng Xiaoping in August. In the picture, Jiang, who had originally been standing in the back, while Deng and Hu shook hands in 1992, was blacked out. Time analyzed that this incident shows that Jiang and Hu are currently in the middle of a power struggle.