Former Chinese leader Hu Jintao was taken away by staff at the meeting
China’s official news agency Xinhua responded on Saturday (October 22) on its official English Twitter account that former Chinese leader Hu Jintao left the venue in the middle of the closing session of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.
According to the report, its reporter learned that Hu Jintao “was unwell during the meeting, and the staff accompanied him to a room next to the meeting for his health to rest.”
The report added that Hu Jintao was recovering recently and “is much better now.”
However, domestic media in China did not report the incident, and Xinhua’s statement was not posted on its Chinese website and social media platforms.
Here’s an analysis by Stephen McDonell, the BBC’s Beijing correspondent:
image source,Reuters
The footage of Hu Jintao being asked to leave the stage at the Great Hall of the People has drawn global attention as people try to figure out what just happened.
There are many questions, but so far, the Chinese government has given no answers.
At one point, former Chinese leader Hu Jintao seemed reluctant to leave. If true, why? What did he say to his successor, Xi Jinping, to make him nod? He patted the protégé Li Keqiang on the shoulder before being led off the stage. What did he say to Li Keqiang?
The two most likely reasons for him being taken away from the meeting were either a display of China’s power politics – a leader who represented an old era being taken away symbolically, or Hu Jintao’s serious health problems.
A week ago, on the first day of the convention, Hu Jintao, assisted by a staff member, walked into the venue, looking weak that day.
But if he was taken because he was in poor health, why did this happen suddenly? Why in front of the camera? Is it an emergency?
A longer video clip shot today showed Xi turning to the former party general secretary, while to Hu Jintao’s left, top officials Li Zhanshu and Wang Huning also appeared concerned. Li Zhanshu even wanted to get up to assist at one point, but Wang Huning pulled him back to his seat, as if to say, “Don’t interfere.”
image source,EPA
Hu Jintao was taken away from the meeting
At one point Hu Jintao stretched out his hand as if he was going to get the documents in front of Xi Jinping. At this time, he looked confused, and Xi Jinping immediately stretched out his hand to suppress the document, preventing Hu Jintao from taking the documents.
Communist Party congresses are often highly scripted, leading to speculation that the timing of Hu Jintao’s departure may not have been abrupt. He attended the closed-door session early on the final day of the convention, and then allowed the media to enter for the final part of the day. Just after the cameras were set, the official walked up to Hu Jintao and motioned him to leave.
Even so, the Communist Party usually does not bring out private discussions and disputes to public display. If this is a deliberate arrangement, it means that it is different from the usual practice.
Hu Jintao represents a very different China than Xi Jinping. He places more emphasis on collective leadership, which must balance the various factions on the Politburo Standing Committee. Hu Jintao’s years are seen as a time of opening up and increased tolerance for new ideas.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics was the pinnacle of China’s exposure on the international stage, foreign companies were established in China, international tourists continued to flow in, the Internet was freer than it is now, domestic media tried to start doing decent news, and China’s global reputation continued to improve.
Although some people commented that Hu Jintao was a “weak leader,” China’s economy often experienced double-digit growth during his ten years in power, and China also cares more about its international reputation.
As the general secretary of the party, Xi Jinping has taken the country in a very different direction. He is the “core” and cannot be challenged.
Under the leadership and encouragement of the current government, China’s nationalist sentiment has exploded, and it doesn’t care what other people think about China. The message China is sending to other countries is that China’s time has come, and to fight against China is self-destruction.
Internally, the party is the supreme leader. After Xi Jinping took office, he wiped out all political enemies in the name of anti-corruption. Now, Xi Jinping has used the conference to remove all remaining political, economic and social forces that disagree with him.
If Hu Jintao could understand, what he saw at the 20th National Congress was the composition of the new 205-member Central Committee, which did not include Li Keqiang or Wang Yang, both of whom were regarded as economic liberals, and who were all the same as the previous government. thinking about.
This suggests that the new Politburo Standing Committee will be filled with Xi Jinping’s supporters, ensuring that it continues to move in a very different direction from the reform and opening up of the Hu Jintao era.