BEIJING (Reuters) – Former Chinese President Hu Jintao, the immediate predecessor of Xi Jinping, on Saturday was unexpectedly escorted out of the closing ceremony of a congress of the ruling Communist Party.
Hu, 79, who was seated to the left of Xi, was led off the stage of the main auditorium of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing by two stewards, a Reuters witness at the congress said.
Hu had appeared slightly unsteady last Sunday when he was assisted onto the same stage for the opening ceremony of the congress.
The once-in-five-years congress concluded with amendments to the party’s constitution that cements the core status of Xi and the guiding role of his political thought within the party.
(Reporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Robert Birsel)
