The death of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin is expected to help President Xi Jinping to further consolidate his power base.

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that Jiang died of leukemia in Shanghai on Wednesday. He had been seen as an influential counterweight to Xi's power.

Jiang was appointed to the Communist Party's top post of general secretary following the military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square in 1989.

After becoming China's president in 1993, Jiang promoted economic reforms, prioritizing growth. He was credited with setting the foundation for the country to become the world's second largest economy.

Jiang was said to have maintained his influence over the appointments of top officials after retiring from frontline politics.

But his power decreased sharply after officials close to him were ousted on bribery charges.

People in China have expressed sorrow about the death of the former president who boosted the economy.

A man in his 20s in Beijing offered his condolences, saying Jiang had made a great contribution to the country's development. He cited Hong Kong's handover to China in 1997 as an impressive achievement.

A worker from Shanghai said the tourism sector could earn profits and was prosperous during the period when Jiang was in power.