On Saturday 22nd October 2022, Former Chinese President Hu Jintao was unceremoniously led away from the Communist Party’s congress’s closing ceremony. 80-year-old Hu Jintao was seated to the left of his successor and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Two stewards took him off the stage of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing’s biggest auditorium.
In video footage of the event, a steward was seen repeatedly trying to pull Hu from his seat. Hu Jintao then placed his hand on a piece of paper that was lying in Xi’s folder, but Xi moved fast to lay his palm there.
Li Zhanshu, the senior lawmaker in China, who was seated on Hu Jintao’s right, handed a steward the former president’s folder while cleaning his own head with a handkerchief. Hu Jintao, who had a worried and confused expression, resisted going as the stewards led him outside, briefly going back to his seat. He spoke with Xi Jinping before patting Premier Li Keqiang on the shoulder who was seated on Xi Jinping’s right. After that, he was escorted out of the hall by two stewards.
Early drama: Hu Jintao seen being led out soon after reporters are led into the main hall pic.twitter.com/pRffGZF60I
— Danson Cheong (@dansoncj) October 22, 2022
There was no explanation offered for his exit, with just some analysts guessing that Hu Jintao has major health issues. According to a report by Reuters, Hu had already appeared slightly unsteady during the opening ceremony of a week-long party meeting last Sunday. Sky News tweeted that Hu Jintao appeared confused when he was being taken away by the stewards, indicating he was removed from the venue without his prior knowledge.
China’s former president Hu Jintao has been unexpectedly escorted out of the closing ceremony of the ruling Communist Party.
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 22, 2022
He seemed confused and appeared to resist leaving, turning back to his seat at one point.
Watch the moment 👇
Read more: https://t.co/MTHPwwJJ3f pic.twitter.com/16BxWcP2Mh
Many people are commenting that this incident illustrates the ever-increasing supremacy of Xi-Jinping in the party and in the government. It is also notable that former party leader Jiang Zemin didn’t attend the meeting in the Great Hall of People, which was attended by almost 2,300 delegates.
While Hu Jintao’s exit from the venue during the closing session of the party congress has been widely covered by international media, Chinese media has given it a complete miss. In fact, the visuals were also not aired on Chinese TV, and the footage that has gone viral was shot by an international news agency.
After the incident became a major issue in international media, Xinhua news agency suggested that Hu left the venue due to health reasons. The news agency posted on Twitter claiming that “Hu Jintao insisted on attending the closing session of the Party’s 20th National Congress, despite the fact that he has been taking time to recuperate recently.”
When he was not feeling well during the session, his staff, for his health, accompanied him to a room next to the meeting venue for a rest. Now, he is much better.
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) October 22, 2022
They added, “when he was not feeling well during the session, his staff, for his health, accompanied him to a room next to the meeting venue for a rest. Now, he is much better.” Others also said that in recent times Hu Jintao has been moving with assistance, including the opening session of the congress, and therefore the reason for his exit from the closing session is also his health.
The Communist Party is poised to affirm Xi Jinping, aged 69, for an unprecedented third five-year term as the week-long session concluded in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People. The legislature essentially dismissed four of the seven members of senior leadership, including Premier Li Keqiang, the country’s second-highest official. It also included Xi Jinping’s key economic and military policy goals in the party’s constitution.
