BEIJING (Reuters) – Former Chinese President Hu Jintao was unexpectedly escorted outside the closing ceremony of a congress of the ruling Communist Party on Saturday.
Hu, 79, Xi Jinping’s direct predecessor, was seated to Xi’s left. A Reuters witness at the conference said he was taken by two hosts from the main hall stage of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Video footage released by AFP showed a host repeatedly trying to lift Hu from his seat, alarming officials seated nearby. Then he put his hand on Shi’s file, then Shi put his hand on the file.
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China’s top legislator Li Zhanshu, seated to Huo’s right, gave the former president’s file to a host, wiping his head with a rag after he finally stood up.
Hu Jintao looked sad as he resisted leaving as the hosts escorted him outside and returned to his seat at one point. On his way out, he exchanged words with Xi and patted Premier Li Keqiang on the shoulder, seated to Xi’s right.
A video of the incident, which is highly unusual given the careful management of most such events, was widely shared on Twitter but was not found on heavily censored Chinese social media platforms.
The official media coverage of the ceremony did not include the scene that occurred as the journalists entered the hall.
He seemed a little uneasy last Sunday when he was helped at the same stage to attend the opening ceremony of the conference.
The congress, held once every five years, concluded with amendments to the Party’s constitution, which strengthened Xi’s core position and the guiding role of his political thought within the Party.
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(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista and Ryan Wu) Editing by Robert Purcell, Lincoln Fest and William Mallard
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