Memorial meeting for Comrade Jiang Zemin to be held on Dec. 6

BEIJING -- A memorial meeting for Comrade Jiang Zemin will be held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Dec. 6, according to an announcement from Comrade Jiang Zemin's Funeral Committee Thursday.

The No. 2 Announcement issued by the committee says that in view of the exceptional contributions Comrade Jiang Zemin made to the development of the Party and the country, and the common wishes of the whole Party, the entire military and the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, the following decisions have been made.

The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and the Central Military Commission will hold a solemn memorial meeting for Comrade Jiang Zemin in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Dec. 6. The memorial meeting will start from 10 a.m., the announcement said.

The memorial meeting will be broadcast live and all localities and departments should organize Party members, cadres and the masses to listen to or watch the live broadcast, it added.

On the day the memorial meeting is held, the national flag will be flown at half-mast across the country as well as at China's embassies, consulates and other agencies stationed overseas. Public entertainment activities will be suspended on that day, the announcement said.

When the mourning session is held at the memorial meeting, people across the country will pay a three-minute silent tribute, horns will be honked for three minutes, and air defense sirens will be sounded for three minutes.

No ceremony for paying last respects to Jiang's remains will be held, the announcement said.