Vice Premier Huang Ju, a key ally of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin who climbed the ranks of Shanghai politics to join the Communist Party's inner sanctum of power, died early Saturday, the official Xinhua News Agency said. He was 68. Xinhua did not disclose the cause of death, though Huang had been ill, reportedly with pancreatic cancer, for over a year, according to a report of the Associated Press. Xinhua said the Chinese leadership in its official obituary called Huang "a long-tested and faithful communist fighter" -- a traditional description for a leader who dies in good standing.
