TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Chinese dissident artist Badiucao (巴丢草) on Saturday (Oct. 22) uploaded an illustration mocking the controversial exit of former Chairman Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) out of the Great Hall of the People during the closing ceremony of the 20th Communist Party Congress.
Seated to the right of current Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) he was approached by a man — who some have claimed is Xi's personal bodyguard — requesting that Hu leave the room. However, Hu refuses to stand up and quickly tries to grab a folder sitting in front of Xi, who prevents Hu from taking it.
Despite continued resistance from Hu, the man eventually manages to get the former chairman to stand. Hu then resists attempts to lead him out of the room.
When Hu finally agrees to leave, Hu touches Xi on the shoulder, who avoids eye contact, but nods slightly and says something indiscernible in response. Appearing to finally cooperate in leaving the room, Hu pats the shoulder of outgoing Premier Li Keqiang (李克強), who appears shocked.
According to a tweet posted by China's state-run media outlet Xinhua, Hu had "insisted" on attending the closing session despite being in poor health. It claimed that when Hu began to feel unwell 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."
However, because Hu is from the rival Communist Youth League (CYL) Faction (團派), there has been intense speculation that Hu's removal was a deliberate, public display of the cementing of Xi's total dominance of the Chinese Communist Party. In a Foreign Policy article titled, "What the Hell Just Happened to Hu Jintao," deputy editor James Palmer posited three possible explanations for Hu's dramatic exit.
The first possibility Palmer listed was that Hu had suddenly tested positive for COVID. The second was that Hu had given some sort of indication at the last minute that he would abstain in a vote against Xi.
Palmer suggested the third reason for the incident could have been that Xi's plan was to "deliberately and publicly humiliate his predecessor," potentially preceding the imposition of party sanctions on Hu. Palmer pointed out that Xi had previously used harsh language against Hu and other elder rivals, such as a reference to the "slide toward weak, hollow, and watered-down party leadership in practice." Such an act would send a signal to retired elders that Xi's power is now absolute.
Based on photographs just prior to the incident, others suggest that Hu was trying to see the folder of new appointees ahead of time, prompting the outgoing chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress Li Zhanshu (栗戰書) to prevent him. This allegedly prompted Xi to call security to take Hu away.
My cartoon on former leader Hu Jintao 's dismiss at the closing of China's congress today.#China #HuJintao #XiJingping #二十大闭幕会 #胡锦涛 pic.twitter.com/X0TwczGeGP
— 巴丢草 Bad ї ucao (@badiucao) October 22, 2022
