# Hu Jintao escorted out of China's Party Congress. Something? Nothing? It's unclear **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [October 22, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641 "2022-10-22T20:01:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/1 "2022-10-22T20:01:09Z")
It’s hard to tell if this is really anything, but it certainly looks bad. Xi Jinping always has that resigned look on his face, so it is hard to tell if he is thinking anything significant. At the very least, this looks very bad. Escorting out the previous president right when the current president is grabbing a third term. Not good. Man, Hu Jintao looks way different now than when he was president. > **[Former Chinese leader Hu Jintao unexpectedly led out of room as Party...](https://www.cnn.com/2022/10/22/china/china-party-congress-close-hu-jintao-intl-hnk/index.html)** > > China's former top leader, Hu Jintao, was unexpectedly led out of Saturday's closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress, in a moment of drama during what is typically a highly choreographed event. I think everything right now is pure speculation. Still, I wonder what is up. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/2 "2022-10-22T20:51:39Z")
We will likely never know what happened if anything. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/3 "2022-10-22T21:18:12Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Xi Jinping always has that resigned look on his face, so it is hard to tell if he is thinking anything significant. Much like his doppelgänger Winnie the Pooh when the hunny pot is empty. [![](https://hips.hearstapps.com/seventeen/assets/15/45/1446824821-12038569-10153015444511237-8218060226590962793-o.jpg) ](https://hips.hearstapps.com/seventeen/assets/15/45/1446824821-12038569-10153015444511237-8218060226590962793-o.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2022, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/4 "2022-10-22T21:51:37Z")
Simply put, Hu is known for being a moderate. Xi is a hardliner. Xi wants to purge out his rivals, particularly the moderates. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/5 "2022-10-24T18:37:48Z")
“Will you leave quietly, or do we borrow Kim’s anti aircraft gun?” I am surprised he wasn’t told in advance not to show up, unless they wanted to publicly dismiss him. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/6 "2022-10-24T18:47:09Z")
I watched the unedited clip yesterday. It was painful to see, and I had no doubt, watching it, that having it happen in front of everyone was completely intentional, as a way to signal Xi’s power over everyone in the room, and to show to the world his implacability. No-one at the table turned their head to watch, they looked grimly forward or pretended to be working on papers on the desk. I can imagine his last words to Xi on the way out being something like “Should I really go with these guys?” as Xi nods and murmurs something soft and innocuous like “Yes, you go ahead.” I would be surprised if Hu is not under house arrest for the rest of his life. ---
**Author:** ![FurloeRoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@FurloeRoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FurloeRoth)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/7 "2022-10-24T20:52:13Z")
Yes, it must have been for public show. These events are carefully managed and controlled. If Xi just wanted to sack the guy, that would have been in private, happens all the time. If it was a health emergency, it didn’t seem so urgent that they had to immediately remove him. They could have waited for a more discreet moment. Xi was sending a message to dissenters. “Careful, or this could be you.” Proper Mao/Stalin-era stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2022, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/8 "2022-10-24T21:17:17Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > We will likely never know what happened if anything. Depends on what Xi wants us to know. The whole thing was clearly done to send a message, and that message might eventually include a more explicit part. Or might not, if Xi decides that everyone else being unsure serves his purposes better than everyone else being sure. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/9 "2022-10-25T00:56:01Z")
According to national news agencies, the video has been thoroughly scrubbed from all social media and is no longer visible in China. It never happened… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/10 "2022-10-25T01:26:06Z")
Which says all we need to know. Pure 21st Century Stalinism. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/11 "2022-10-25T02:03:53Z")
> [@dolphinboy](#): > > According to national news agencies, the video has been thoroughly scrubbed from all social media and is no longer visible in China. It never happened… So, the did it, but they don’t want to show it? OK. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/12 "2022-10-25T02:06:03Z")
It was intended to send a message to the people in the room. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/13 "2022-10-25T15:02:53Z")
I’ve read that in North Korea, Kim il-Sung was known for even more drastic tactics. He would address the crowded auditorium, _“Everyone here in this room has been doing their patriotic and loyal duty. That is, except for Comrade Park sitting in Row 26, Seat 18…”_ and the poor targeted guy would be petrified with fear. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/14 "2022-10-25T15:58:17Z")
If you’re going to all the trouble of doing that, you might as well turn the seat into a death trap. ---
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/15 "2022-10-25T16:17:48Z")
Saddam Hussein did something similar to half his leadership team at one point. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/16 "2022-10-25T16:22:11Z")
He’ll meet the same fate as Kim’s uncle. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/17 "2022-10-25T16:29:22Z")
Didn’t Ernst Stavro Blofeld do that at at least one SPECTRE board meeting? ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/18 "2022-10-25T20:35:43Z")
[Indeed.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0AfNaZ8zWc) ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/19 "2022-10-25T21:18:03Z")
Moderating: > [@duality72](#): > > Indeed. Please don’t make a post with only a link to a youtube video and no further explanation of what you’re posting. Not everyone has the ability to hover over a link to see what it is before clicking on it, and even doing that doesn’t offer any insight into what will play on a youtube link before clicking on it. This is not a bright line rule, but failing to inform posters at least minimally about what they’re about to click on is poor form. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2022, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641/20 "2022-10-25T21:45:52Z")
Sure. You can add a quote of Jackmannii’s post if you like since it was just an answer to their question. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hu-jintao-escorted-out-of-chinas-party-congress-something-nothing-its-unclear/973641.md?page=2)