Former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin dies at 96

State media reports that Jiang Zemin, China’s former leader who came to power following the Tiananmen Square protests, has died at the age of 96.

State media said he died just after noon on Wednesday.

He was one of the most important people in Chinese history in and oversaw a time when China was very open and growing quickly.

He was criticised for a harsh crackdown on the religious sect Falun Gong in 1999, but he oversaw the peaceful handover of Hong Kong in 1997.

After the bloody 1989 crackdown on protesters in and around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, which made China an international outcast, Jiang rose to power.

Hardline reactionaries and reformers in China’s Communist Party began a bitter power struggle as a result of the event.

It resulted in Jiang’s promotion to high office, despite the fact that he had initially been viewed as a plodding bureaucrat. 

As a compromise leader, it was hoped that he would unite conservatives and liberals.

Breaking news story – More to follow