Except in China, where they have not been released, the images of former President Hu Jintao’s forced departure from the Communist Party Congress have shocked the world by recalling the Mao-era purges. We have all seen the video in which Hu resists being taken away. But why? What happened before?
In these exclusive photos, ABC shows the sequence that triggered his expulsion. An order given by his successor, Xi Jinping, because Hu wanted to see some documents in his Congress delegate folder. What was in those papers? We try to find out with these unique photos, which have sparked all the speculation. That’s how they were taken.
After almost two hours of waiting because the 2,300 delegates were voting for the 203 members of the Central Committee, the doors opened for journalists and we entered the race to get a good seat in the first rows of the second floor of the Grand Palace of the Village. A while before, a group of Arab journalists had tried to sneak in on me and, after almost 18 years in China and four Communist Party congresses, I knew I had to be quick if I wanted to get good shots of a historical moment like the perpetuation of Xi Jinping. .
Therefore, I was already with the 400 telephoto lens mounted on the camera and, after jumping a couple of benches, I placed myself at the edge of the amphitheater. And since we didn’t know how much time we had either, I started shooting Xi and Hu, who was looking at a piece of paper with a surprised face in a break in the session, stopped to let the media in. But, next to him, the number three of the regime and president of the National People’s Assembly, Li Zhanshu, kept it in his red folder and even grabbed his wrist so that he would not take it out.
At that moment, Xi Jinping looked directly at the second floor, where the journalists were standing, and in the first photo I took, it seems that he is staring at the target. Meanwhile, Hu Jintao tried to see the papers in his folder again, and Li Zhanshu stopped him. It was then that Xi called an aide, to whom he gave the order to bring one of his bodyguards, who has accompanied him for more than a decade. Appearing before him, and while listening to him, the bodyguard already placed his hands on Hu’s seat.
As soon as Hu heard Xi give the order, his face changed. Beside him, Li Zhanshu and the regime’s ideologue, Wang Huning, were puzzled. The rest is history: Former President Hu Jintao was dragged out while the bodyguard picked up the folder with his documents, which are exposed in several shots. Although they are not clearly visible from a distance, some characters can be seen that reveal an electoral list with the members of the Central Committee and the Commission for Disciplinary Inspection.
One hypothesis is that Hu is upset because none of his allies appear in them, as has happened, and Xi decides to remove him from the room so that he does not take revenge by not raising his hand in the show of arms votes that are going to take place before the Press. . The other is that Hu, at 79 years old and in poor health, does not own his actions. Despite this, he is aware that he is being kicked out and he does not want to leave. Whatever, Xi looks at the reporters again and is impassive as he makes this show of strength. In fact, he doesn’t even turn around when Hu says something to him as he says goodbye. Hu then puts his hand on the shoulder of his protégé, Premier Li Keqiang, who has been staring straight ahead the entire time.
No one in the dome except Zhang Dejiang looks at Hu Jintao as he is led away. Nobody has seen anything, nobody knows anything. Neither the Chinese journalists, who minimize the incident as a health problem, nor the 2,300 delegates. Leaving the Great Hall of the People, I look to see if anyone is making any explosive statements. Before a group of cameras, a delegate from an ethnic minority dressed in her traditional dress sings a song with a smile.
11:25:10
Surprise when reading a document
After the part of the session behind closed doors, the Press is allowed access to the second floor of the amphitheater of the Great Hall of the People to take images of the closing of the XX Congress of the Communist Party. Sitting to Xi Jinping’s left, China’s former president Hu Jintao reads a document and looks surprised. Xi Jinping looks up at the second floor, where journalists are setting up their cameras.
11:25:34
Trying to open the folder
Hu Jintao tries to look at the documents again, which are inside a red folder. To his left, the number three of the regime and president of the National People’s Congress, Li Zhanshu, prevents him from doing so while Xi Jinping observes the situation. Due to Hu’s advanced age, 79, and his deteriorating health, Li Zhanshu has been caring for him throughout the session.
11:25:35
Xi Jinping calls an aide
In order for Hu Jintao not to open the folder, Li Zhanshu even holds his hand. At that moment, Xi Jinping leans back slightly and turns his head to the left, calling to an aide at that end of the dais. To Xi Jinping’s right, Prime Minister Li Keqiang continues to stare straight ahead while, in the second row, the three senior officials sitting just behind stare at Hu.
11:25:46
Xi Jinping orders Hu Jintao fired
Kong Shaoxun, deputy director of the General Office of the Central Committee, immediately appears, to whom Xi Jinping gives an order that seems quite clear by the gesture with the index finger made by the aide. Surprised, Kong Shaoxun raises his right hand pointing at Hu Jintao and one of the side exits. Meanwhile, Li Zhanshu and the regime’s ideologue, Wang Huning, hold the folders so that Hu Jintao does not open them.
11:26:25
A security agent arrives
Next comes a security agent. He’s not a congressional delegate because he doesn’t wear a badge on his jacket like the others. As it turns out later, he is the bodyguard who has accompanied Xi Jinping for more than a decade. With forceful gestures with his right hand, which he sweeps up and down, Xi orders the bodyguard to take Hu Jintao away, whose face changes when he hears it. Beside him, Li Zhanshu and Wang Huning also look surprised as the second row continues to watch.
11:26:30
time to go
Touching Hu Jintao’s documents, the bodyguard informs him that he must leave the room. Beside him, Li Zhanshu is dumbfounded, and Wang Huning can’t help but gape. With an undaunted gesture, Xi Jinping keeps his eyes straight ahead and does not even contemplate the scene like those in the second row. He has given the order and only waits for it to be carried out.
11:28:03
lifting him from the chair
Between the bodyguard and the deputy director of the General Office, Kong Shaoxun, Hu Jintao is lifted from the chair, who has resisted trying to remain seated for more than a minute. The looks say it all. As Hu stares in disbelief at Xi, Xi looks down at him condescendingly, but does not give in to his pleas to stay.
11:28:16
resisting to leave
Even standing up, Hu Jintao is still reluctant to leave and tries to wriggle free of the bodyguard, who grabs his arm and leads him out carrying his documents. Embarrassed by the incident, number three Li Zhanshu wipes the sweat from his cheeks while Wang Huning’s mouth remains open. Xi Jinping watches them and Prime Minister Li Keqiang, Hu’s protégé, remains absent, looking straight ahead.
11:28:21
A tug on the jacket to stay out of the way
In a few seconds that seem endless, Hu Jintao refuses to leave, yanking his arm to free himself from the security agent. Li Zhanshu makes a move to get up to help him, but behind him Wang Huning grabs his jacket to make him sit back down and stay out of the way. Xi Jinping looks up again at the second floor, where the cameras are. Although it is not clear, the documents that the agent is carrying, and that Hu wanted to see, are the electoral lists of the Central Committee and the Commission for Discipline Inspection, where his allies have been eliminated.
11:28:51
A goodbye without even looking at him
Finally, after half a minute of arguing with the bodyguard, Hu Jintao relents and agrees to leave. Before leaving, he turns to Xi Jinping again, who answers him without hardly looking at him. You can tell from the fold of the jacket that the security guard is pulling Hu away from talking to Xi.
11:28:54
hand on shoulder
Walking past him, Hu Jintao rests his hand on the prime minister’s man, Li Keqiang, who like him belongs to the Communist Youth League faction and was his favorite to succeed him as president ten years ago. But Xi Jinping came out ahead and has since purged Hu’s closest associates. Xi watches the scene with a half smile.
11:28:57
His prime minister doesn’t even look at him
Head down, Hu Jintao just behind his former prime minister, Wen Jiabao, who doesn’t even look at him. Except for Zhang Dejiang, now retired, the entire leadership remains impassive and stares straight ahead. Even veteran Song Ping, who is 105 years old and was Hu Jintao’s mentor. As you can see in the photo, his eyes are open and he’s not napping like when speeches are read. Nobody does anything and, if it is for a health reason, everyone behaves in the coldest way. They take former President Hu Jintao.
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