At the conclusion of the 20th National Congress, Xi Jinping was elected for a third consecutive five-year term as the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, making him the country’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong.
The attention of millions of people on social media has, however, been drawn to the former leader Hu Jintao, who has garnered dramatic headlines in the western press.
On Saturday at the Congress’s closing ceremony, Hu Jintao has led away from the stage of the Great Hall. The elaborately organized event’s closing moments were being filmed by the international media when it happened.
Danson Cheong, a Straits Times Beijing correspondent who recorded the event on his phone, was one of the first journalists to report on Hu Jintao’s surprise departure.
It occurred so quickly after reporters were given access to the authorized media area that TV cameras had not yet been set up.
Cheong tweeted, “Early drama: Hu Jintao spotted being escorted out just after reporters are led into the main hall.”
Gobsmacked by the Hu video’s viral success, he later tweeted.
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
Since then, Hu Jintao’s death has been linked to a Xi Jinping “purge,” according to social media users and the international media.
In response to the video, well-known China critic Gordon Chang said, “How can we (the United States) continue relations with an unpredictable regime like China?”
Xi Jinping and his allies learned that Jintao was going to abstain or vote against them in the final rounds of policy voting, according to James Palmer, author of Foreign Policy’s China Brief, who also listed two dramatic causes for the exit.
Or that Xi ordered Jintao’s eviction on purpose when reporters showed up in an effort to “deliberately and publicly embarrass his predecessor.”
Palmer said that humiliating Hu in this way would make it abundantly evident to the long-remaining high-level party leaders, the retired elders, that Xi’s power was unrestrained. But many Chinese political analysts think the western media’s accounts of the incident are probably false.
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“Cock-Up” Likely
The AFP News Agency video is the clearest unedited representation of Hu Jintao being dragged off the Great Hall stage that Asia Markets has uncovered.
Check out the video here.
Although Jintao appears reluctant to leave, he is seen appearing bewildered, dazed, and unable to stand on his own throughout the 80-second footage.
Few days ago. Hu Jintao needed help to be escorted to attend the 20th Congress and in fact was helped & encouraged by Pres Xi pic.twitter.com/K4tWRYjmW6
— Finnigans 💉💉💉💉💉天有道地有道人无道 (@Thefinnigans) October 23, 2022
Days earlier, a vision from the Congress depicts a weakened-appearing Jintao being helped onto the stage of the Great Hall and requiring Xi Jinping’s prompting to take his seat.
Given the timing of the media’s entry into the Great Hall, no reporters would have observed whether Hu Jintao’s condition worsened before being led out. It is obvious that Hu Jintao was in poor health.
Members had to raise their hands to vote after he was brought outside.
“It’s likely the Party was worried that Jintao wouldn’t have the awareness to be able to take part in votes in his state and this would have been embarrassing for the Party given where he was seated and they would have known it would have caused great headlines with the world wondering if he was abstaining intentionally or just not mentally prepared,” a journalist based in China told Asia Markets.
Han Yang, a Chinese political commentator residing in Sydney, said that the most likely cause was a mistake.
The organizers mistimed Hu’s departure with the arrival of foreign journalists, which is still the most plausible explanation.
Official state media explanation, which as to be expected focused on health issues:
Despite recently taking time to rest, Hu Jintao insisted on attending the party’s 20th national congress’ concluding session, according to Xinhua reporter Liu Jiawen.
The state media agency’s only response to the global speculation has been the following statement:
“When he wasn’t feeling well during the session, his staff took him to a room next to the meeting location for a rest out of concern for his health. Currently, he is considerably better.
Chinese Censorship Claims
The assertions made in Western media that Hu Jintao’s name has been suppressed in Chinese media seem overdone.
Hu Jintao is prominently featured during a lengthy story on the Congress in the evening news segment of CCTV (China’s state broadcaster), which was broadcast mere hours after the tragedy. Manya Koetse posted an edit on Twitter that shows the report.
In terms of social media, the lack of fresh results for the search term “Hu Jintao” on the most popular Chinese social media sites has led to more speculation.
Due to the extensive media control surrounding the Congress, there are also no fresh search results for any of the names of the other major party figures.
Whether it’s a health condition or something more nefarious, all information about the Congress that is released online comes from official state-approved sources. It would seem the CCP doesn’t want to exacerbate the distraction surrounding a former leader.
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Hu Jintao Health Concerns in Spotlight Since 2015
Hu Jintao has long been the subject of health worries.
Has anyone been able to confirm the rumor that former Chinese Chairman Hu Jintao suffers from Parkinson's disease?
— Isaac Stone Fish (@isaacstonefish) August 12, 2021
It has been widely rumored during the latter part of his leadership tenure that he has Parkinson’s disease.
The fact that Jintao’s hands were trembling while he and Xi Jinping were in a memorial military parade was even covered in a 2015 Nikkei Asia piece.
Until recently, there was still talk that Hu Jintao had Parkinson’s disease.
Hu Jintao’s health aside, Congress cements extraordinary power for Xi
Despite the exaggerations surrounding Jintao, the CCP leadership was replaced at the 20th National Congress by fervent Xi Jinping supporters, and any lingering members of opposition factions were expelled from the top levels of the party.
Despite being the one behind the brutal Shanghai COVID lockdowns, Li Qiang, a close ally of Xi, was promoted to Premier. He takes over as premier from Premier Li Keqiang, a proponent of liberal economic reforms.
Both Wang Yang and Hu Chunhua, two additional individuals regarded as prospective candidates for the position of premier, were also expelled from the Standing Committee.
Both had connections to the Communist Youth League, a once-powerful group that, according to political analysts, has now essentially been decimated by Xi.
Hu Jintao, who came from the once-powerful Communist Youth League, is noteworthy as one of the most important CCP members.
