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Ex-President of China, Said to Be Ill, Appears in Beijing

BEIJING — Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese president who was said to have fallen gravely ill in July, appeared at a ceremony in Beijing on Sunday, fanning speculation about his health and the role he might play in power struggles accompanying the long-planned shift in the top leadership next year.

A visibly frail Mr. Jiang, 85, was seen on state television on Sunday morning standing with other Chinese leaders in the Great Hall of the People and singing the national anthem along with others to honor the 100th anniversary of the revolution that ended the Qing Dynasty. One photograph showed Mr. Jiang, dressed in a dark suit and red tie and wearing square-rimmed glasses, waving as he took a seat.

Reports of Mr. Jiang’s failing health emerged in the Hong Kong news media on July 6, days after he did not appear at a celebration for the 90th birthday of the Chinese Communist Party. Chinese officials tried to block or limit online discussion of Mr. Jiang’s health, and Xinhua, the state news agency, called talk of Mr. Jiang’s death “pure rumor.”...

Read entire article at NYT