Hu’s Mysterious Exit From Xi’s Party Is Still Confounding China
- Ex-leader was escorted from closing ceremony midway through
- Event occurred as Xi cemented control, giving allies key jobs
Hu Jintao escorted out of the closing session of the 20th National Congress.
Source: Bloomberg
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The finale of the Communist Party’s most important political event is normally carefully scripted to extol China’s top leaders. But at President Xi Jinping’s coronation last weekend, former leader Hu Jintao’s mysterious exit stole the headlines.
The 79-year-old appeared confused as he was led off stage halfway through the closing session of the twice-a-decade leadership reshuffle, sparking intense speculation over what exactly happened to him. Several hours later, the official Xinhua News Agency tweeted Hu felt unwell and needed to rest. “Now, he is much better,” the outlet added.