Indisposition or live purge: Hu Jintao, forcibly removed from the Chinese Communist Party Congress
Nobody expected any surprises at the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Events followed the pre-established script. Xi Jinping would be re-elected for a third term, the cadres of the Standing Committee would be renewed and the current president's plans would be endorsed in the Party's statutes. But then something strange happened: former president Hu Jintao was forced to leave the room against his will in an unusual scene in which he resisted two ushers.
After 11.00 local time (08.00 in Spain), the 79-year-old, who was secretary general of the CCP between 2002 and 2012, played a leading role in an unprecedented scene in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Minutes before the start of the vote to include Xi Jinping's theses as amendments to the Party's statutes, Hu was approached by a janitor who tried to convince him to vacate his seat in the front row of the chamber, to the left of the current leader.
For one minute and 19 seconds, the former president struggles with one and then two officials. He seems disoriented and reluctant to leave. The other party officials, seated on either side of him, watch the scene from the corner of their eyes, astonished. But their faces are aseptic. Meanwhile, the few journalists in the room are filming. The images will travel around the world in a matter of minutes. In the absence of information, rumours are rife: what could have happened, is the former president indisposed or is he the target of a new purge by Xi Jinping?
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
"Hu Jintao is a very old man who needs assistance to get around," says Sinologist and Qili Foundation trustee Andrés Herrera-Feligreras in conversation with Atalayar. It is said that he suffers from Parkinson's, although no official details about his state of health have been released. "Moreover, he has been retired from politics for a decade, since he left the presidency and the general secretariat of the Party, precisely in the hands of Xi", adds the analyst.
Perhaps for this reason, Hu is not a man who can lead an internal revolt, even if he has support in the upper echelons of the Party. "It is difficult for him to be a real danger to the current president. Among other things because part of Xi's policies are based on Hu's legacy of a more social state. In fact, Hu laid the foundations for what Xi would later do", explains Herrera-Feligreras.
The image itself is difficult to explain. "What need does Xi have to purge his predecessor in this way?" asks the sinologist after witnessing a Congress that has certified "a greater centralisation of power in China". Authority, which previously emanated from the Party, is in the hands of Xi Jinping. No leader has had so much control over the apparatus since Mao. This has been demonstrated at this 20th Congress, where he has revalidated his mandate and is preparing to place Xi profiles on the Standing Committee.
Xi will exceed the maximum period of a decade at the helm of China, something that none of his predecessors, not even Hu Jintao, achieved. Until 2018 there was a constitutional rule limiting power to two five-year terms. Xi amended that part of the constitution to remove barriers. Now, with this type of action, he could be sending a clear message internally, but, above all, externally: he is the sole authority. A new era is beginning that has little or nothing to do with the previous one.
For Herrera-Feligreras, such events are well designed. "The Chinese leaders know that everyone is watching, discrepancies are not shown there", says the analyst, who believes that Hu's health "is worsening and they have taken him out to save face". Some say that it is his personal assistant who is evicting the former president, but it is not entirely clear. It remains to be seen whether he reappears at upcoming institutional events or is mentioned again in official speeches. It will be the test of cotton wool.
胡锦涛很明显是被强行带离现场，什么原因将成为千古之谜。旁边的栗战书吓得直冒汗，站起来被王沪宁拉下去。 pic.twitter.com/NBqoaESLFa
— 方舟子 (@fangshimin) October 22, 2022
Most interpretations of the president's opening speech highlighted his criticisms of Hu's decade in power. Xi highlighted, among other issues, the excessive bureaucratisation of the Party during his presidency. However, the sinologist does not perceive any hint of criticism. "He was describing how the country was 10 years ago because he wanted to emphasise the achievements of his term in office," Herrera-Feligreras explains.
On the Chinese social network Weibo, mentions of Hu Jintao and images of his forced removal from the room had disappeared by early afternoon.
After his rise to power, Xi Jinping launched an internal crusade against corruption within the Party. A move interpreted by his critics as an attempt to purge rival cadres and factions. Tens of thousands of high-, middle- and low-ranking members were arrested and imprisoned after being accused of corruption, a systemic practice in the Chinese power apparatus. Flies" and "tigers" fell. And one of those convicted was Ling Jihua, former chief of staff to President Hu Jintao.
