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The Japan News/Yomiuri
The Japan News/Yomiuri
World
The Yomiuri Shimbun

Speculation swirls over Hu's sudden exit from party congress

Hu Jintao, second from right, and Li Zhanshu, right, speak as Li takes documents from Hu, while Xi Jinping, left, speaks to an aide. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Speculation is rife among foreign media over the real reason former Chinese President Hu Jintao was escorted out of the closing ceremony of the Chinese Communist Party's national congress in Beijing.

The Chinese government explained that Hu was taken out of the Great Hall of the People on Saturday due to his poor health.

Of particular interest is video footage taken by a Singaporean media outlet among other images that show the moments just before Hu was removed from his seat between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Li Zhanshu, China's legislative head as chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee.

Hu's right hand appears to reach for a document in front of Xi as Li and Wang Huning, right, look on. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

In the images, a seated Hu is about to look at documents, but Li to his left stops him and pulls the documents away along with a red cover. Li then places the cover over the documents. Hu seems then to reach for papers in front of Xi but appears to be prevented again.

In China, a red cover usually signals important documents. There is speculation in Western media that Hu was not informed of personnel appointments in advance. Premier Li Keqiang was among the people close to Hu who were excluded from the personnel appointments for Xi's third term as the CCP's general secretary.

In the past, Hong Kong media and others had reported on suspicions that Hu is suffering from Parkinson's disease. Some have suggested that there were some problems related to Hu's movements, such as he mistook the documents distributed to him.

Hu is lifted out of his seat by an attendant. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

On Monday, when asked about the reason for his departure, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson simply said, "If you are interested, you can take a look," referring to a Twitter post in English by the state-run Xinhua News Agency that states Hu left the congress because he was "not feeling well."

Hu says something to Xi. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)
Hu pats Premier Li Keqiang's shoulder on the way out as Wang Yang, left, seems impassive. (Credit: The Yomiuri Shimbun)

Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/

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