The mystery of Hu Jintao’s exit and China’s hidden tensions

Why was Xi Jinping’s predecessor as president ‘firmly escorted’ from last week’s congress?

Hu Jintao is escorted from the conference
Former president of China Hu Jintao is escorted from the 20th Communist Party Congress, as Xi Jinping looks on
(Image credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

A single image from last week’s Chinese Communist Party Congress underlined “the utter ruthlessness of Xi Jinping’s pursuit of absolute power”, said Con Coughlin in The Daily Telegraph. It was the sight of Hu Jintao, Xi’s predecessor as president of China, being “reluctantly but firmly escorted from the closing ceremony”.

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