China says Jiang death reports 'pure rumour'

BEIJING — China's official media said on Thursday that reports claiming former president Jiang Zemin had died were "pure rumour", after days of intense speculation about his health.The state-run Xinhua news agency quoted "authoritative sources" in its report denying the rumour, which emerged last Friday after the 84-year-old failed to appear at celebrations marking the Communist Party's 90th birthday.Speculation gathered momentum this week and culminated with Hong Kong and Japanese media putting out reports confirming his death.Hong Kong broadcaster ATV announced Wednesday that the former president had died, citing unspecified sources and giving no details. It said it would air a special one-hour programme on Jiang but later cancelled it.The Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun also reported Thursday that Jiang had died in Beijing, quoting "a source involved in Japan-China relations".The Xinhua dispatch gave no further details on the former leader's health. Foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei, who was repeatedly asked about the issue at a briefing, refused to comment and referred reporters to the Xinhua report.Jiang's absence from the Friday gala in central Beijing was conspicuous as many other retired party and national leaders -- including former prime ministers Li Peng and Zhu Rongji -- were present.Rumours have surfaced in the past that Jiang, who reportedly still wields a lot of power in the inner party sanctum, may be seriously ill.On Thursday, searches for his name and other terms such as "cardiac arrest" -- one of his rumoured causes of death -- on the popular Twitter-like Weibo service were blocked, in an indication that censors were barring information.China routinely censors online content it deems politically sensitive. This includes the health of leaders, which is considered a state secret, apparently due to concerns illness might affect the appearance of stability in the party.Even the word "river" -- the meaning of Jiang's surname -- was barred Thursday on Weibo, which more than 100 million Chines

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