Published: October 31st, 2022,
Last updated: May 28th, 2025

A week after the incident involving former CP leader Hu Jintao, the world is still puzzled: Why was the 79-year-old suddenly led out of the hall in front of the lenses of international camera crews at the start of the final session of the Party Congress? Was it a planned show of force by Xi, a public symbol of the end he brought for Hu’s Youth League? Or was there a risk of a health emergency, or even embarrassment from the allegedly demented Hu? So far, there is no answer.