Screengrab from Twitter
New Delhi: Two days after video of former Chinese President Hu Jintao, the immediate predecessor of Xi Jinping, being unexpectedly escorted out of the closing ceremony of the 20th Chinese Communist Party Congress went viral on social media, a new video showing Jintao being prevented from reading the contents of a document has surfaced.
In a Twitter post shared by one Fang Zhouzi, whose real name is Fang Shimin, a popular science writer, Zhouzi said that just before Jintao was taken away, he was stopped from seeing the contents of a document by Chinese politician Li Zhanshu.
“The video before Hu Jintao was taken away is consistent with the photo taken by the ABC reporter, because he wanted to see the contents of the folder and Li Zhanshu did not let him see it,” tweeted Zhouzi.
In the video, Zhanshu is seen taking away the folder from Jintao and conveying something to him.
At one point in the video, Xi Jinping is seen talking to a staff member, which has given rise to speculations that the instructions from the Chinese president may have led to Jintao being escorted out of the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress.
On Saturday, a video showing a staff member lifting up 79-year-old Jintao and escorting him away even as Jintao seemed to show discomfort had gone viral on social media.
On his way out, Jintao paused and appeared to say something to Xi and then patted Premier Li Keqiang on the shoulder. Both Xi and Li appeared to nod. It was not clear what Xi said in reply.
Hu had appeared slightly unsteady last Sunday when he was assisted onto the same stage for the opening ceremony of the Congress.
After the incident set off a firestorm of speculation overseas, the Chinese state media said he was “not feeling well” when he was removed.
“Xinhuanet reporter Liu Jiawen has learned that Hu Jintao 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,” it added.
Xi, who has been re-elected as the General Secretary of the ruling Communist Party of China for a record third five-year term, is widely seen to have cemented power by eliminating rivals and dampening the lingering influence of party elders.
This was evident when the newly announced 205-member Central Committee did not include Li Keqiang and fellow Standing Committee member Wang Yang, who are both considered Hu’s proteges.
This means neither will they retain their seats in the Standing Committee, the party’s top-decision making body, though both are 67, one year short of the unofficial retirement age.
Xi, however, was included in the list of new Central Committee members by a once-in-a-five-year Congress despite crossing the official retirement age of 68 and completing 10-year tenure.
With inputs from agencies
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