Hu Jintao: The mysterious exit of China's former leader from party congress - BBC

Footage of China's erstwhile leader, Hu Jintao, being asked to permission the signifier astatine the Great Hall of the People successful Beijing during the Communist Party Congress is drafting planetary attraction arsenic radical effort to enactment retired what has conscionable happened.

There are a batch of questions and nary answers truthful acold from the Chinese government.

Mr Hu, 79, appeared reluctant to move. If that is the case, why?

What did helium accidental to the antheral who replaced him, Xi Jinping, which prompted a motion from China's existent leader? And what did helium accidental to his protégé, Li Keqiang, arsenic helium tapped him connected the enarthrosis earlier being ushered disconnected stage?

The 2 astir apt reasons for his departure are that it was either portion of China's powerfulness authorities connected afloat display, with a person representing a erstwhile clip being symbolically removed, oregon that Hu Jintao has superior wellness problems.

It came astatine the extremity of the Communist Party's week-long congress, which cemented Mr Xi's presumption arsenic China's astir almighty person since Mao Zedong.

On the archetypal time of the congress, Mr Hu was lone capable to locomotion successful with the assistance of an official. On that day, helium looked beauteous frail.

However, if helium was led distant astatine the extremity due to the fact that of ill-health, wherefore did this hap truthful suddenly? Why successful beforehand of the cameras? Was it an emergency?

A longer edit of the footage taken connected Saturday shows Xi Jinping turning to the erstwhile enactment president and also, to Mr Hu's left, elder figures Li Zhanshu and Wang Huning appearing concerned. Mr Li adjacent moved to assistance him astatine 1 point, but was pulled backmost by Mr Wang, arsenic if to say, "Don't get progressive successful this."

After Hu Jintao stood up, helium besides reached retired to instrumentality Mr Xi's notes by mistake. At this stage, helium appeared confused. China's person moved Mr Hu's manus distant and took the notes back.

The Communist Party's wide meetings are usually highly scripted events, starring to speculation that the timing of Hu Jintao's departure mightiness not person been an accident.

He attended the earlier closed-door league connected the past time of the Congress, past cameras were allowed successful for the last information of the day. It was conscionable aft the cameras had acceptable up that officials approached Mr Hu and indicated that helium should go.

That said, the enactment doesn't usually aerial its soiled laundry successful public. If this was a deliberate show, it would people a departure from accustomed behaviour.

What is pushing this on is that Hu Jintao represents a precise antithetic exemplary for China from that of Xi Jinping.

He ran a overmuch much corporate enactment and had to equilibrium assorted factions represented connected the Politburo Standing Committee.

The Hu years - helium held the presidency betwixt 2003 and 2013 - were seen arsenic a clip of opening up to the extracurricular satellite and accrued tolerance of caller ideas.

The 2008 Beijing Olympics was a highest for planetary exposure. Foreign companies were mounting up here, tourists were flooding in, the net was much free, section media outlets started doing decent journalism and China's planetary estimation was perpetually improving.

While immoderate person referred to the Hu play arsenic "wasted", economical maturation was consistently successful treble digits and Beijing cared astir its estimation elsewhere.

Xi Jinping has taken the state successful a precise antithetic direction, with him astatine the "core" and incapable to beryllium challenged.

The existent authorities has encouraged an detonation successful nationalist sentiment, showing small interest for what anyone other thinks astir its handling of anything. Instead, the connection for different leaders has been that China's clip has arrived and you volition messiness with this federation astatine your ain peril.

The connection for Chinese radical tin beryllium seen successful additions to the Party constitution, referring to achievements made done "struggle". This has echoes of Mao Zedong's clip successful office.

As General Secretary, from the outset, Mr Xi took retired each opponents via an anti-corruption crackdown.

Now helium has utilized this year's Congress to wide retired immoderate past remnants of those who deliberation determination should beryllium antithetic paths economically, socially and politically.

If helium realised what was going on, 1 of the past things Mr Hu saw astatine this Congress was the make-up of the caller 205-person Central Committee. It does not see Li Keqiang oregon Wang Yang, some seen arsenic economical liberals, some linked to the ideas of the erstwhile administration.

This points to a caller Politburo Standing Committee, stacked with Xi loyalists, guaranteeing the continuity of a trajectory which is precise antithetic to the betterment and opening up successful the epoch of Hu Jintao.