Why was a former Chinese leader unexpectedly escorted from a major political party congress?

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: During the 20th National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party in October 2022, former leader Hu Jintao was abruptly removed from his seat. The incident, captured by international media, sparked global speculation about whether the event was a health-related episode, a deliberate political humiliation, or an orchestrated purge.

On 22 October 2022, during the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress, Hu Jintao was pulled from his seat by two men following signals from incumbent General Secretary Xi Jinping. Before his removal, Hu had attempted to access documents on his table, which were blocked and then taken by Xi's allies, Li Zhanshu and Wang Huning. Footage shows a minute-long deadlock where Hu resisted, repeatedly trying to retrieve his materials. Before departing, Hu spoke briefly to Xi, who responded, and he patted the shoulder of Premier Li Keqiang, a key figure in his faction.

Interpretations of the event vary significantly. Some observers, including journalists from The New York Times and The Economist, suggested that Hu may have been experiencing a sudden health issue, noting that such a public display lacked the typical stage-managed nature of a formal purge. Conversely, others like James Palmer of Foreign Policy argued the act was a deliberate attempt by Xi to publicly humiliate his predecessor. Xi had previously criticized the state of the party prior to his own leadership, describing it as weakened and marginalized, and emphasized the need to correct ideological drift.

Official accounts from China's Xinhua News Agency stated that Hu was unwell and was accompanied to a room for rest. The incident was not broadcast domestically, and online searches for Hu and his son were censored. However, scholars Steve Tsang and Olivia Cheung argue that this censorship suggests Xi did not intend to humiliate Hu. The former leader later reappeared in public on 5 December 2022, attending the state funeral of Jiang Zemin. Ultimately, the congress proceeded to pass all proposals unanimously, and Hu was absent for the final voting process.

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