BBC News - Jiang Zemin death rumours spark China web crackdown
Reports maybe.
Would Prince Charles send flowers if true?
BBC News - Jiang Zemin death rumours spark China web crackdown
Reports maybe.
Would Prince Charles send flowers if true?
The Chinese are denying it and dismissing it as pure "rumours":
Still, one can't but wonder what is really going in China since the censors are in ultra-oppressive mode:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011...ng-zemin-death
- Despite the denial, speculation is unlikely to fully die down until Jiang is seen again in public. The last such big occasion was in October 2009 for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic. He was also present at an event in Sichuan last year, where his car was reportedly followed by an ambulance. Jiang is said to be suffering from an illness and possibly hospitalised, though it is hard to confirm because China treats the health of its leaders as a state secret.
Until today, censors have tried to quell speculation by blocking references to related words on blogs and search engines: "Jiang", "myocardial infarction", "hung" – a euphemism for death – and "301 Hospital" – a reference to the medical facility where he was said to be treated.
Searches for "jiang", which means river, resulted in the warning: "Search results are not shown due to relevant laws and policies." Netizens sidestepped the prohibition by using English words and allusions.
"Jiang" by the way means "river" in Chinese. I can't recall another country banning searches for "river" and deeming it as illegal. Interesting, don't you think?
Last edited by Watercooler; 07-07-2011 at 03:30 PM.
This is another of those situations when I can't understand the secrecy. So what if he has died or is dying? He is 84 after all.
There is one possibility I can think of. China is preparing for a leadership transition. Hu is going to step down in the not-too-distant future, and whenever there is a change in Chinese leadership, things get a bit dicey, politically speaking in Beijing.
Because Jiang may have some residual influence among certain members of the CCP, his passing will have an impact on the leadership transition and may possibly sway or change potential replacement candidates of Hu. In any case, his death may have an impact on the power distribution within the CCP. And the CCP is real nervous about it, so they are in heavy censoring mode. Of course, that's all speculation from me.
Last edited by Watercooler; 07-07-2011 at 03:49 PM.
The rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated. I have been resting with some close comrades. Here I am just digging deep into China politics.
Leaders getting the news from a state censored version? I think you do not understand what I am saying here. The senior leadership knows exactly what is going on, they just haven't revealed it or have not agree on how to reveal what is really going on to the public. So prior to the the "official" version being unveiled, they have to censor all the "rumours" floating out there lest it hinder the "credibility" of the "official" version.
Last edited by Watercooler; 07-07-2011 at 11:48 PM.
Correct, I did not understand your meaning. Now it is clear, and quite possibly true.
dot.zen