Zhao Ziyang

Zhao Ziyang has died.

Former Chinese Communist Party chief Zhao Ziyang, who was ousted amid the upheaval surrounding the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, has died at the age of 85, the state news agency Xinhua has announced.

Zhao had suffered from respiratory and cardiovascular problems and died early Monday in a Beijing hospital, Xinhua said.

Zhao was considered one of the standard-bearers of political and economic reform in China.

He opposed the use of force against the Tiananmen Square demonstrators and was removed from his post during the clampdown.

The former leader had been kept under house arrest until his death.

The death of Hu Yaobang sparked the 1989 uprising in Tiananmen Square. Maybe Zhao's death will be the spark for something as well. Either way, I think that it is almost inevitable that, oneday, both Hu and Zhao will be canonized in Chinese history books as heroes. I hope that day comes sooner than we might otherwise expect.