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Xi Jinping’s year in photographs revealed in New Year broadcast
- Former president Jiang Zemin’s passing acknowledged in speech and with two pictures added to Xi’s office collection
- Jiang and Hu Jintao have become the first former leaders to feature on the president’s bookshelf, with other photos showing highlights of 2022
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Jun Maiin Beijing
Chinese President Xi Jinping’s New Year’s Eve video address revealed some additions to his office bookshelves – including photographs of his predecessor Jiang Zemin, who died in November aged 96.
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Xi has delivered a video speech on the last day of each year of his presidency, which began in 2013. The occasion is a rare opportunity to take a peek at his office settings in Zhongnanhai, which is also the official residence for China’s top leaders.
Among the first photos revealed this year were two pictures of Jiang, who ruled China from the early 1990s to the early 2000s and was accorded Beijing’s highest protocols, with a series of ceremonies to mark his passing.
One picture showed Jiang hosting the national day gala on September 30, 1999 alongside then premier Zhu Rongji, and Xi’s father Xi Zhongxun, who was attending as a retired party elder, according to a description by state broadcaster CCTV.
The elder Xi was a Politburo member between 1982 and 1987, as well as a member of the party’s General Secretariat, which handles daily paperwork and logistics.
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The other picture was undated and appeared to be an unofficial location. It showed Jiang standing between Xi and former president Hu Jintao at the gate of an unknown building.
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