BEIJING: The ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) general convention in China concluded in a dramatic fashion on Saturday and former President Hu Jintao was taken off the stage in front of the media. Jintao, 79, was sitting in the first row at the Great Hall of the People (Parliament Building) with President Jinping and other top leaders when two people asked him to leave the meeting. It is believed that the two men were security personnel. The incident took place when local and foreign media were given permission to cover the meeting involving 2,296 delegates.
A nearly one-minute video of the incident has gone viral on social media in which Jintao is seen reluctant to leave, while security personnel is seen convincing him to leave. Jintao transferred power peacefully in 2010 after completing his 10-year term.
In the video, the former president is seen as weak and has a paper in his hands. He is seen talking to two people about the uneasiness of the leaders who remained mute spectators throughout the incident. Eventually, he walks out. Jintao was seen saying something to Jinping, to which he nodded his head and patted Premier Li Qing. After this, Jintao was seen going out with two people.
China’s state-run Xinhua news agency tweeted on Saturday evening, “Xinhuanet correspondent Liu Jiawen has learned that Hu Jintao insisted on attending the concluding session of the party’s 20th National Congress despite the fact that he had recently health benefits.”
Regarding Jintao, Xinhua said, “When he was not feeling well during the session, his staff took him to rest in a room next to the meeting place to recover. Now, he is feeling better.”
It is noteworthy that Jintao not only took part in the inaugural session of the General Conference but was also present throughout the session. All CPC meetings are held in a very confidential manner and such incidents are rare.
