A very unusual incident occurred this Saturday in China, during the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress.
Former Chinese President Hu Jintao was escorted out against his will.
He "didn't feel well", state media claimed, as any recent reference to the former president's name appeared to have been censored on the Chinese internet.
“Hu Jintao had insisted on attending the closing session…despite the fact that he had had to take time to recover recently,” assured the new China agency on Twitter.
“When he did not feel well during the session, his team, for his health, accompanied him to an adjacent room to rest.
Now he is much better.
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Hu Jintao, who presided over China from 2003 to 2013 and is considered a reformer, was pressured by staff to rise from his seat, which sits next to Xi Jinping in the front row of the People's Palace.
An employee tries to take the 79-year-old ex-president, who seemed weakened, by the arm, but the latter refuses.
This man then tries to lift him by the armpits, but Xi Jinping's predecessor continues to resist.
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
Hu Jintao tries to board documents placed on his desk, which seem to belong to the Chinese number one.
Xi Jinping holds them firmly.
A conversation of about a minute ensues between the employee and Hu Jintao.
The latter is finally convinced to leave the premises, visibly reluctantly.
Held by the arm, the former president is escorted out, leaving an empty chair next to Xi Jinping.
As he stood up, Hu Jintao had a brief exchange with Xi Jinping, who answered him without looking at him, and with Premier Li Keqiang, whom he patted on the shoulder.
The audience seems impassive.
“Difficult to draw conclusions”
No explanation was given at first, before the official media mentioned the state of health of the former president.
AFP's requests to the authorities went unanswered.
This sequence took place shortly after the press entered the People's Palace in Beijing to cover the closing ceremony of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) congress.
It came just before the unanimous vote, by some 2,300 CCP delegates, to include Xi Jinping's "central role" in the party charter.
Hu Jintao had surprised at the opening of the congress last Sunday by appearing aged, the hair now completely white.
"We don't yet know what caused this, whether it was to counter Xi's power or an unpleasant moment for an elderly person," commented Neil Thomas, an analyst at Eurasia Group.
“In the absence of additional information, it is difficult to draw conclusions about the connection between this incident and Chinese politics.
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"Complete Humiliation"
“Whether it was deliberate, or whether he was in pain, the effect is the same.
Complete humiliation for the last generation of pre-Xi leaders,” tweeted Alex White, a British analyst who lived in China.
Whether it was deliberate, or he was unwell, the effect is the same.
Complete humiliation for the last generation of pre-Xi leadership https://t.co/GyS3XYksX7
— Alex White (@AlexWhite1812) October 22, 2022
This Saturday afternoon, the name “Hu Jintao” appeared to be censored on the Weibo social network.
Only information from the day before, and from official accounts, was available.
Xi Jinping, 69, should obtain a third term as general secretary of the party on Sunday, which guarantees him a third presidential term next March.
Arrived at the head of China in 2012, he concentrated powers to gradually become the most powerful leader since the founder of the Mao Tse-tung regime (1949-76).
Showing great firmness against all forms of dissent, Xi Jinping has also led a formidable anti-corruption campaign which has enabled him to clean up his rivals.
