CCTV documentary revisits Jiang era crises and military push
SingTao · 1 SOURCESabout 1 hour ago2 MIN
Summary
China Central Television this week began broadcasting the 12-part documentary Jiang Zemin to mark the 100th anniversary of the former Chinese president’s birth. Two episodes aired on Wednesday night revisited major events during his tenure, including the Asian financial crisis, state-owned enterprise reform, the 1999 Falun Gong protest near Zhongnanhai, the Kosovo crisis and military modernisation.
Key Points
- CCTV started airing the 12-episode documentary Jiang Zemin on Tuesday as part of commemorations for Jiang Zemin’s 100th birth anniversary.
- Episode 7, The True Colours in Turbulent Times, and Episode 8, A New Chapter for Elite Forces, were broadcast on Wednesday night.
- The documentary says Beijing firmly backed Hong Kong during the 1997 handover period as the Asian financial crisis broke out and international speculators targeted the city.
- It also says the central government deepened state-owned enterprise reform and helped many loss-making companies emerge from difficulty during Jiang’s tenure.
- On the 1999 bombing of China’s embassy in Yugoslavia, former foreign minister Tang Jiaxuan recalled Jiang Zemin sharply criticising US President Bill Clinton and pressing for compensation after three Chinese journalists were killed.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the documentary links the 1997 handover period directly to Beijing’s account of supporting the city through the Asian financial crisis. It also presents an official retrospective of how Jiang’s leadership is being framed around crisis management, political control and military development.