UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday mourned the death of the former President of the People’s Republic of China, Jiang Zemin, who died at the age of 96.
Guterres, in a statement by his spokesman, Mr Stéphane Dujarric, expressed sadness over the demise of the former president.
The UN chief said Zemin was a steadfast advocate for international engagement as his tenure was marked by substantial economic progress and China’s successful accession to the World Trade Organization.
“Under his leadership, China hosted the landmark 4th World Conference on Women in 1995. In September 2000, he participated in the Millennium Summit here at the United Nations.”
The secretary-general said he would never forget Zemin’s personal warmth and openness, as well as the excellent cooperation that he enjoyed when he was Prime Minister of Portugal to ensure the smooth transition of the handover to China of the administration of Macau.
Guterres offered his sincere condolences to Jiang Zemin’s family and to the Government and people of the People’s Republic of China
