China party officials pay respects to former leader Jiang

BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping and other current and previous top officials have paid their respects to former leader Jiang Zemin, who died last week at age 96. State broadcaster CCTV showed Xi, his predecessor Hu Jintao and others bowing to Jiang’s body at a military hospital in Beijing. Jiang’s body was then sent for cremation at Babaoshan cemetery, where many top leaders are interred. A formal memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday at the Great Hall of the People, the seat of the ceremonial legislature in the center of Beijing. Jiang, who was president for a decade until 2003, oversaw the return of Hong Kong from British rule and Beijing’s entry into the World Trade Organization.