Hu Jintao’s apparent reluctance to abdicate has prompted speculation as to whether political factors were at play.
Beijing:
Former Chinese leader Hu Jintao was seen in public for the first time after he was dramatically escorted out of a top Communist Party meeting on Monday after he paid his respects to his late predecessor Jiang Zemin. did.
In October, Hu was removed from his chair and kicked out of the closing ceremony of the party congress, a highly unusual event that disrupted a carefully prepared event that marked Xi Jinping’s historic third term as leader. tenure was assigned.
Chinese state media later said that Hu had been feeling unwell, but his apparent reluctance to leave the hall fueled speculation over whether political factors were at play.
State broadcaster CCTV footage showed Hu appearing with other top leaders at the Chinese People’s Liberation Army General Hospital in Beijing ahead of Jiang’s funeral on Monday morning.
The frail 79-year-old is seen standing next to Xi, an attendant on his shoulder, as officials bow three times before Jiang’s body.
Later, Hu is seen walking unsteadily with the help of the same attendant as the cadres walk around the funeral display and talk to Jiang’s widow.
At the October Congress, Xi was anointed as general secretary of the party for a term of five years, breaking the precedent of Hu and Jiang stepping down after two terms.
Some believed that Hu’s unexpected removal was meant to send a strong political message to those in the party who might oppose Xi’s coronation.
A Hu disciple, Hu Chunhua, was tipped by some to be nominated to the Politburo Standing Committee, the pinnacle of power in China.
But Xi sidelined them and filled his inner circle with his closest associates.
Xi has promoted a narrative that he has fixed the major problems that plagued China and the party during the tenures of Hu and his predecessors, such as corruption and the unequal distribution of wealth.
Following the incident, Chinese censors scoured the internet for references to Hu’s removal from Congress.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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