It was the lone disruption in one of the vital closely choreographed events in China: The country’s former top leader, Hu Jintao, was suddenly led out of the closing ceremony of the Chinese Communist Party’s twice-a-decade congress.
The congress, where China’s next leaders are anointed, is the one most significant political event for a ruling party fixated on control. Every detail, whether it’s the final result of its elections or how servers pour tea, is planned. Nothing unscripted happens. Nothing unscripted is allowed to occur.
Except this 12 months, it did.
The roughly 2,000 delegates to the congress had just forged ballots for the party’s prestigious Central Committee. Then, two men led Mr. Hu — who appeared reluctant to go — out of Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.
The moment, captured on video by journalists who had been allowed into the hall minutes earlier, prompted questions and wild speculation. Was Mr. Hu, 79, affected by poor health, as Chinese state media would later report? Or was he being purged in a dramatic show by China’s current leader, Xi Jinping, for the world to see?
“This was an astonishing episode — even in the course of the Mao period, you didn’t see a dramatic disruption of the congress like this,” said Victor Shih, a specialist in Chinese politics on the University of California at San Diego.
The world may never know the reply, given the utter secrecy around Chinese high politics. But a deconstruction of video footage provides additional details and context concerning the much-scrutinized moment.
Within the minutes before Mr. Hu is led away, he appears to be reaching for a document on the table, where the highest leaders and retired elders of the party preside.
The Recent York Times; video by CNA via Reuters
The person to his left, Li Zhanshu, the party’s now outgoing No. 3 official, quickly intervenes, covering it with a red folder. He later slides the document away, speaking into Mr. Hu’s ear.
It’s unclear what the document was, but all of the officials appeared to have papers. A photograph of considered one of the pages, taken later, seems to point out that it was a listing of names, with the words “Central Committee.”
Lintao Zhang/Getty Images
The congress was about to announce the brand new Central Committee, which might clarify that Mr. Xi had pushed out perceived moderates in favor of loyalists. The party’s top leaders and retired elders historically have an important deal of influence over the choice.
The delegates had not yet voted on amendments to the party structure, approving Mr. Xi’s report on the progress of the previous five years, or a report on internal party discipline. The amendments, revealed later, reaffirmed Mr. Xi’s importance because the “core” of the party.
Previous party meetings have been stages for political maneuvering and the humiliation of former leaders. In 1959, the party formally adopted a resolution denouncing Peng Dehuai, a high-ranking military official, after he criticized Mao Zedong’s economic policies. Throughout the Cultural Revolution, many leaders, including Mr. Xi’s father, Xi Zhongxun, were purged or publicly shamed. But those moments predated the web age, and were clearly intentional.
It’s removed from evident that Mr. Hu’s exit was planned, and plenty of analysts have warned against drawing assumptions. The apparent chaos of the next moments led many to read the scene as unscripted.
Mr. Xi glances toward one side of the hall. An aide then comes over to Mr. Xi, who addresses him and taps a chunk of paper. The aide bends over to say something to Mr. Hu — who had been watching the previous exchange out of the corner of his eye, seemingly listening.
As Mr. Xi looks on, the aide grasps Mr. Hu’s right arm, as if attempting to get him out of his seat. Mr. Hu pulls his arm back. The person tries to lift the previous top leader from behind, under each arms, but again fails.
Mr. Hu then reaches for the paper in front of Mr. Xi, which the highest leader holds down.
The Recent York Times; video by Agence France-Presse
When the aide finally succeeds in coaxing Mr. Hu from his chair, Mr. Li, the No. 3 official, half-rises from his seat and appears to be moving to interact within the situation. One other official — Wang Huning, the party’s then-No. 5 leader — tugs Mr. Li back down.
The Recent York Times; video by CNA via Reuters
Mr. Li and Mr. Wang represent a changing of the guard on the apex of power in China — the Politburo Standing Committee that was unveiled the following day.
Mr. Xi appointed allies who’re too old or inexperienced to take over for him.
Some members who were seen as less near Mr. Xi retired early.
Mr. Xi appointed allies who’re too old or inexperienced to take over for him.
Some members who were seen as less near Mr. Xi retired early.
Mr. Xi appointed allies who’re too old or inexperienced to take over for him.
Some members who were seen as less near Mr. Xi retired early.
The Recent York Times; photographs by Tingshu Wang/Reuters, Jason Lee/Reuters
Mr. Li had reached retirement age, and was leaving. Mr. Wang is the party’s chief theoretician and has served as an ideological adviser to each the present and former leader; he was promoted at this congress to the No. 4 spot, and is seen as near Mr. Xi.
With the Politburo Standing Committee now full of his allies, Mr. Xi will face little resistance to his agenda, which incorporates bolstering national security and reshaping the worldwide order to raised suit Beijing’s interests. Not one of the latest leaders have the experience or are young enough to be considered potential successors to Mr. Xi.
Because the two aides begin guiding Mr. Hu away from his seat, the older leader stops to say something to Mr. Xi. Mr. Xi nods briefly, without fully turning to have a look at him.
The Recent York Times; video by Reuters
Mr. Hu then pats Li Keqiang, China’s premier, on the shoulder. Mr. Li nods, too, but additionally doesn’t fully turn around.
The premier has long been seen as an ally and protégé of Mr. Hu. He climbed the party’s ranks partly through his leadership roles within the Communist Youth League, a celebration organization that Mr. Hu once headed.
At the least two other people seated on the front table have longstanding associations with Mr. Hu. Wang Yang and Hu Chunhua — the outgoing No. 4 party member and a Chinese vice premier, respectively — were also affiliated with the Communist Youth League.
The Recent York Times; video by Reuters
The brand new lineup of top officials unveiled the following day excluded those three perceived protégés of Mr. Hu, breaking with a practice of balancing different party factions within the leadership.
As Mr. Hu is escorted out of the hall, he passes behind 19 other high-ranking party officials seated at the identical long table.
Almost none of them give any indication that anything out of the peculiar is occuring. A number of are engaged in conversation. Most stare straight ahead.
EXPRESSIONS DID NOT CHANGE
EXPRESSIONS DID NOT CHANGE
EXPRESSIONS DID NOT CHANGE
The Recent York Times; photograph by Tingshu Wang/Reuters
Wu Guoguang, a professor on the University of Victoria in Canada who served as an adviser to a former premier of China, said he didn’t want to take a position about what had unfolded. But he said he was astounded by the officials’ chilly response.
“Here was Hu Jintao, the previous highest leader of your party and a person who had given so lots of you political opportunities. And the way do you treat him now?” Professor Wu said in a podcast interview with the Times columnist Li Yuan. “This incident demonstrated the tragic reality of Chinese politics and the basic lack of human decency within the Communist Party.”
After Mr. Hu’s departure, the closing ceremony proceeded, together with his empty front-row seat the one reminder of the disruption. To most individuals in China, the entire episode might never have happened. Chinese censors limited search results for Mr. Hu’s name on social media to posts from official accounts, none of which mentioned his exit. The state broadcaster’s news program that night showed footage of Mr. Hu voting, after which his empty seat later within the ceremony, without explanation.
Late Saturday evening, Xinhua, the state news agency, offered the primary official acknowledgment of his exit, writing on Twitter that Mr. Hu was “not feeling well” and had been taken to rest. “Now, he’s significantly better,” the post read. But Twitter is blocked in China, and neither Xinhua nor another official news outlet posted an analogous explanation inside China’s web firewall, further fueling speculation concerning the incident.
No matter what happened, the symbolism was unmistakable. A former paramount leader, historically the one person with the stature to challenge a current one, was led offstage.
That left just one man within the highlight: Mr. Xi, about to glide to his third term, essentially the most powerful Chinese leader in many years.
The Recent York Times; photograph by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images