Former Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji passed away on the morning of August 12th in Beijing at the age of 97. His body was cremated at Babaoshan Cemetery in Beijing today (18th), with Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo Standing Committee member and Vice President Han Zheng in attendance to bid farewell. According to official reports, only former CCP leader Hu Jintao sent a wreath to express condolences, which seems to have become a tradition post the CCP’s 18th National Congress.
The CCP’s mouthpiece Xinhua News Agency reported on the cremation of Zhu Rongji’s body, noting that during his illness and after his passing, the CCP’s Politburo Standing Committee members, Han Zheng, Hu Jintao, and others expressed condolences through hospital visits or various forms, and offered condolences to his family.
The CCP’s Politburo Standing Committee member and Vice President Han Zheng attended the farewell, while Hu Jintao sent a wreath to express condolences. CCP leaders and officials related to the party and state bid farewell in various ways. Leaders of central and state institutions, friends of Zhu Rongji during his lifetime, and representatives from his hometown also paid their respects.
In recent years, whether retired elders appear at significant CCP events has become an indicator of the political situation within the Party.
On August 17th, the CCP held a grand ceremony to commemorate the centennial birth of former party leader Jiang Zemin. Four retired CCP officials at the ministerial level, Hu Jintao, Li Ruihuan, Wu Guanzheng, and Luo Gan, were absent, with Li Ruihuan, known as the “Jiang’s opponent,” causing speculation.
Independent commentator Cai Shunkun posted on X platform yesterday (17th) stating that Li Ruihuan’s absence was somewhat unexpected. It is said that he is in good health, and since he did not applaud at the 20th National Congress, many believe he may not be allowed to attend. However, at the reception on September 30, 2024, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Wen Jiabao and Li Ruihuan appeared, seated on either side of Xi Jinping. At today’s commemoration ceremony for Jiang, it is also possible that, following Jiang’s family’s wishes, Li Ruihuan will not be present, given his long history of opposing Jiang Zemin.
However, when former Premier Li Keqiang’s body was cremated at Babaoshan in Beijing on November 2, 2023, only Hu Jintao sent a wreath to express condolences. There were no other retired elders reported to have made public appearances or individually sent wreaths.
At the funeral of former Premier Li Peng on July 29, 2019, only Jiang Zemin and his wife Wang Yeping personally bid farewell at Babaoshan Cemetery, while Hu Jintao sent a wreath from elsewhere without being present.
Looking back at the funeral of Wan Li and Qiao Shi in 2015, aside from current national-level leaders or members of the Politburo Standing Committee, only Jiang Zemin and Hu Jintao were mentioned (either present or sending wreaths from afar), with no mention of other retired elders. Previous funerals of CCP leaders were usually accompanied by a long list of attendees in Xinhua reports, typically including retired elders.
Scholar Hu Ping believes that this situation should not be overly interpreted. He noted that since the CCP’s 18th National Congress, Xinhua News Agency has omitted mentions of retired elders at funeral ceremonies of CCP leaders, using the word “etc.” instead of naming them.