Searches for “Jiang Zemin” in Chinese or simply “Jiang” drew warnings on Sina Corp.’s popular microblog service that said the search was illegal. In response posts began appearing about former leader “River”, the English for “Jiang”.
Web censors tried to quash any speculation by deleting domestic blog posts about Mr Jiang and blocking overseas media reports that cited anonymous sources as saying he was on his deathbed.
Mr Jiang’s ill health has been the subject of rumours for months and they resurfaced after the 84-year-old did not appear at Friday’s celebration for the 90th anniversary of the Communist party’s founding. Other current and former leaders – a 94-year-old revolutionary veteran among them – were shown by state media in prominent attendance in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.