BEIJING: Former Chinese President Hu Jintao was unceremoniously led away from the Communist Party Congress’s closing ceremony on Saturday.Xi Jinping’s immediate predecessor, Hu, age 79, sat to his left. According to a Reuters witness at the Congress, he was taken off the stage of the main auditorium of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing by two stewards.
A steward was repeatedly seen by officials sitting nearby trying to pull Hu from his seat in video footage that was made public by AFP. Hu then placed his hand on Xi’s folder before Xi did likewise.
Li Zhanshu, the top lawmaker in China, who was seated to Hu’s right, handed a steward the former president’s folder while cleaning his own head with a cloth.Hu, who had a worried expression, resisted going as the stewards led him outside, briefly going back to his seat. He spoke with Xi before patting Premier Li Keqiang on the shoulder who was seated to Xi’s right.
Despite being severely banned in China, video of the incident, which was exceedingly unusual considering the precise staging of most similar events, was extensively shared on Twitter.The incident, which happened as reporters were entering the room, was not covered by state media when it covered the ceremony.
