A visibly reluctant former Chinese president Hu Jintao was unexpectedly led out of the closing ceremony of the 20th Chinese Communist party’s congress in Beijing yesterday.
He was sitting in the front row in Beijing’s Great Hall, next to Chinese president Xi Jinping. Xi, and the rest of the gathering, remained impassive, while stewards evidently struggled to convince the frail-looking Hu, 79, to leave.
The Guardian reports that no explanation was given for his departure.
He had only the briefest exchanges with Xi and the premier, Li Keqiang, after stewards spoke with him. A steward, holding Hu’s arm, led the former president out.
Xi, 69, is widely expected to be reaffirmed this weekend as the party’s general secretary, paving the way for him to gain a norm-breaking third term as Chinese president next March.
According to The Guardian, state media agency Xinhua reported that the new central committee of about 200 senior party officials was elected shortly after 11am yesterday. The full list of members was not disclosed.