Jiang Zemin is a former president of the People's Republic of China and is responsible for initiating China's transition from a centrally-controlled socialist economy to a government-regulated capitalist economy.http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/18902.htm He was born in 1926 in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China.http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/leaders/jzm/biography.htm

Jiang rose to power in the wake of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Jiang filled three key positions in the government of the People's Republic of China, coming to represent the core member of the "third generation" of CPC leadership, which dates from 1989 to 2004.http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/18902.htm In 1989 he replaced Zhao Ziyang as the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC). In 1993 Jiang succeeded Deng Xiaoping, the core member of the "second generation," as president of the country. While serving as president and leader of the CPC, Jiang simultaneously served as chairman of the Military Commission.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303755/Jiang-Zemin

While attending Shanghai Jiao Tong University in 1943, Jiang participated in an underground students' movement led by the CPC, a party that was not to take power in China until 1949. In 1946 he joined the CPC. After graduating with a degree in electrical engineering in 1947, he remained in Shanghai, where he held management positions at various manufacturing plants.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303755/Jiang-Zemin

In the 1950s he headed research institutes in several regions in China. In 1955 he went to Moscow to receive management training at the Stalin Automobile Works.http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/data/people/jiangzemin.shtml Starting in 1980, he held a series of leadership positions in ministries involved with imports, exports and electronics. In 1982 he became a member of the Central Committee of the CPC and was appointed mayor of Shanghai in 1985.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1832448.stm

The upper leadership of China experienced turmoil in the wake of the military response to the 1989 protests in Tiananmen Square. Zhao Ziyang, the general secretary of the CPC, came under criticism for his response to the uprising. When Zhao was purged from the politburo, Jiang was chosen to replace him.http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/18902.htm In that same year, Jiang succeeded Deng Xiaoping as chairman of the Central Military Commission. In 1993 Jiang was elected by the National People's Congress to the office of president.http://www.china.org.cn/english/PP-e/48926.htm

Under Jiang's leadership, China experienced substantial reforms and economic growth. During his time in office, China saw the peaceful return of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom and Macau from Portugal.http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/18902.htm Jiang was instrumental in improving China's relations with the United States and Russia. While communist regimes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe collapsed, Jiang led a communist party in China that maintained tight control over the government.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1832448.stm

In 1997 Jiang initiated a plan to privatize approximately 300,000 state-controlled industries. He also sought to improve trade relations with the United States.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303755/Jiang-Zemin In 1997 he visited the United States and met with President Bill Clinton in a U.S.-China summit.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/303755/Jiang-Zemin Before resigning from office in 2002, Jiang crafted a policy for economic reform known as the Theory of the Three Represents and had this policy written into the CPC's constitution.http://books.google.com/books?id=fnBgrHhlFPgC&pg=PA88&dq=jiang+zemin+three+represents&hl=en&ei=gHomTfO6FIj2tgOwnK3ZBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CC8Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=jiang%20zemin%20three%20represents&f=false

1926: Born in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China

1987: Elevated to national politics as a member of the politburo of the CPC Central Committee

1989: Elevated to chairman of the Central Military Commission

1989: Takes the office of general secretary of the CPC

1993: Elected president of the People's Republic of China

1993: Coins the term "socialist market economy"

1997: Visits the United States to hold a summit with President Bill Clinton

2002: Has his Theory of the Three Represents written into the CPC's constitution

2002: Steps down from the politburo

2003: Completes his term limit as president

2004: Retires from the Central Military Commissionhttp://www.china.org.cn/english/PP-e/48926.htm