Jiang steals some of the limelight from Hu
It may have been billed as President Hu Jintao's parade, but predecessor Jiang Zemin's shadow loomed large at yesterday's show of national strength and party unity.
As hundreds of millions watched the military and civilian parades on television, Jiang, 83, basked in the limelight as he stood next to Hu on the Gate of Heavenly Peace.
Political analysts were surprised by the footage from China Central Television showing almost as many close-up shots of Jiang, who fully retired five years ago, as it did of Hu. The cameras showed images of Jiang having frequent, animated conversations with his successor throughout the 145-minute event.
Parliamentary chief and second-ranking leader Wu Bangguo, who stood on the other side of Hu, was also seen walking up to Jiang several times to chat.
It has been a tradition in the past three decades that every leader inspects one military parade at Tiananmen Square - Deng Xiaoping did it in 1984 and Jiang in 1999. Yesterday's parade should have been an opportunity to elevate Hu to a status equal to Mao Zedong , Deng and Jiang, according to analysts. But apparently, such an assertion was in doubt after the parade.
Hong Kong-based political commentator Poon Siu-to said it was unusual for state television to give as much attention to a retired leader.
Poon noted that Hu praised Jiang in his speech several times and there was warm applause when a portrait of the former leader was paraded.
Some analysts, including Professor Hu Xingdou, a Beijing-based political scientist, said the television coverage was no coincidence.
'It was a deliberate attempt by Hu and other incumbent leaders to salute 'the third-generation leadership',' he said. 'While the move acknowledged the contribution of Hu's predecessor, it also helped defend the current leadership's legitimacy.'
But for Poon, Jiang's high-profile appearances on several occasions since last year made it obvious that the former leader wanted to assert his lingering influence. 'It is a direct indication of Jiang's political influence, a message he wants to convey to Communist Party members,' he said.
Additional reporting by Minnie Chan
