Ex-Chinese president ejected from congress
Former leader linked to moderate faction dragged from party meeting ahead of Xi’s third ‘coronation’
FORMER Chinese president Hu Jintao was unexpectedly ejected from the Communist Party congress’s closing ceremony yesterday, just a day before leader Xi Jinping is expected to be given an unprecedented third term.
The rare moment of apparently unscripted drama during what is usually a highly choreographed event suggests Mr Xi is consolidating power and clearing out the pro-reform old guard ahead of his expected coronation as “ruler for life”.
Although Mr Hu no longer has any formal role other than adviser, he is associated with the more liberal direction China briefly went in during his time in power from 2002-12.
The incident came shortly after Mr Xi also forcibly retired a number of more moderate voices from the party’s central committee, including Wang Yang, who was previously touted as China’s next premier and is associated with a rival political faction.
He will now be ineligible for the powerful elite politburo standing committee set to be named today, which is instead expected to be packed with Mr Xi’s close allies.
In the extraordinary footage filmed yesterday, Mr Hu, 79, is sitting next to his successor at the front table in the Great Hall of the People when he is approached by two men wearing face masks.
One of the men attempts to hoist Mr Hu out of his seat by grabbing him under his arms in front of 2,300 party delegates gathered for the closing session of congress.
The former president appears confused and reluctant to leave, pulling away from the man before another member of staff approaches to force him to leave.
Mr Xi, 69, can be seen holding a pile of papers down on the desk as Mr Hu tries to grab them.
Mr Hu then shares a brief exchange with Mr Xi, who remains expressionless throughout, before apparently agreeing to leave. On his way out, he taps his mentor and outgoing premier Li Keqiang on the shoulder.
He is then led out of the hall by two men as the rest of the central committee stares ahead as if nothing is happening.
State media said that Mr Hu was removed because he was not well. “[He] insisted on attending the closing session … despite the fact that he has been taking time to recuperate recently,” Xinhua said on Twitter. “When he was not feeling well during the session, his staff, for his health, accompanied him to a room next to the meeting venue for a rest. Now, he is much better.”
But China watchers have speculated that it was more likely a political move by Mr Xi.
“What we just saw was the making of an ‘All Xi’s Men’ team, the breaking of decade-long rules, and the birth of an unlimited supreme leader,” said Yang Zhang, assistant professor of politics at Washington’s American University.
“These are not entirely surprising, but Xi’s grab of power is still beyond our expectation. He is now a truly modern emperor.”
Since he took power in 2012, Beijing has been accused of being more authoritarian as it exerts almost total control over Hong Kong and threatens to forcibly take Taiwan, which it claims is a breakaway province of China.
Party delegates yesterday took that stance one step further, enshrining opposition to Taiwanese independence in the party’s constitution. They also rubber-stamped two new policies cementing Mr Xi’s “core” status within the party.
The meeting also saw four out of seven members of the politburo “retired”. They included Mr Wang, and the outgoing liberal prime minister Mr Li. Both have ties to the Communist Youth League, seen as a rival faction to Mr Xi’s. Han Zheng and Li Zhanshu had been expected to retire because they were past the informal age limit of 68 imposed on Chinese politicians.
‘Xi’s grab of power is still beyond our expectation. He is now a truly modern emperor’