The Chinese president has placed several of his closest allies on the Standing Committee, the seven-member body that is seen as holding the keys to power in the Asian giant.
Mighty as ever he is Xi Jinping in China, having gathered similar power, perhaps even greater, than the founder of the People’s Republic Mao Zedong.
Xi secured his third term as the country’s leader on Sunday, the official Xinhua news agency reported, after the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China, in which the 69-year-old leader further consolidated his power.
The Chinese president installed his own people, quite a few from the closest allies in the Standing Committee, the seven-member body which is considered to hold the keys to power in the Asian giant.
Li Qiang, head of the party organization in Shanghai, Ding Suexiang, special secretary to the head of state, and Li Xi, head of the party organization in Guangdong (center), are among the new members of the Commission, its cameras captured state television in the Palace of the People, the Soviet-style building that dominates Beijing’s sprawling Tiananmen Square.
There was little doubt that Xi Jinping would be re-elected as CCP General Secretary for another five years in the closed-door vote, meaning he will be re-elected as president of the world’s second-largest economy in March 2023.
The announcement was formal, and comes just hours after his predecessor was almost carried away from the closing ceremony of the KKK Congress Hu Zidao who allegedly questioned him, citing reasons of… health.
Hours after China’s former leader was removed against his will from the closing ceremony of the CCP Congress, Chinese state media reported that the reason for the unexpected scene was that the former president was “not feeling well.”
“Hu Jindao insisted on attending the closing ceremony…despite recently recovering”assures the agency New China on Twitter.
“As he was not feeling well during the meeting, his team, for the sake of his health, accompanied him to an adjacent room to rest. Now, it’s much better”the state news agency clarified.
But the scene, which was filmed by the French news agency (AFP), was not broadcast by Chinese media, which initially did not report on the matter. At the same time, any recent mention of the former president’s name was censored and deleted from the Chinese Internet.
79-year-old Hu Jindaopresident of China from 2003 to 2013, is considered a reformer.
His seat during the closing ceremony of the Congress was next to Xi Jinping in the Great Hall of the People. Footage in AFP’s possession shows staff urging him to get up from his seat. An employee tries to take his hand, but he refuses. The same man tries to lift him by the armpits, but Xi Jinping’s predecessor, visibly weakened, continues to resist.
Hu Jintao tries to take with him documents placed on his seat, which appear to belong to Xi Jinping, who holds them tightly.
What follows is a nearly minute-long conversation between the staff member and Hu Jintao.
Finally, the former president is persuaded to leave the room, apparently against his will, and is escorted out, leaving an empty seat next to Xi Jinping.
As he stands up, Hu Jintao addresses Xi Jinping, who answers him without looking at him, and Premier Li Keqiang, whom he taps amiably on the shoulder. The staff members are speechless.
The scene unfolded after the press entered the Great Hall of the People to cover the closing ceremony of the Chinese Communist Party Congress and just before the 2,300 congressmen voted unanimously to add Xi Jinping’s “central role” to the party constitution.
Hu Jintao he appeared weakened with now white hair last Sunday at the start of the conference proceedings.
Political analysts were unable to explain this unpleasant scene, nor speculate on its connection to Chinese politics, as long as there was no official explanation.
“Whether it was intentional or he was sick, the result is the same. A complete humiliation for the last generation of pre-Xi Chinese leaders,” Alex White, a British analyst who has lived in China, said on Twitter.
AMPE –
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
