China Insight

Hu Jintao Leaves the Stage: Empty Seat Next to Xi Jinping after Unusual Party Congress Exit

An empty chair could be seen after Hu Jintao left the stage during the closing session of the 20th Party Congress.

Published

4 years ago

October 22, 2022

Chinese leader Hu Jintao was unexpectedly led away by aides during the closing session of the 20th CPC National Congress. While there is much speculation in English-language media on the whys and hows regarding the incident, any mention of it has been scrubbed from the Chinese internet. China’s official evening news, however, made no attempts to hide the empty chair next to Xi Jinping.

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Manya Koetse

Manya Koetse is a sinologist, writer, and public speaker specializing in China’s social trends, digital culture, and online media ecosystems. She founded What’s on Weibo in 2013 and now runs the Eye on Digital China newsletter. Learn more at manyakoetse.com or follow her on X, Instagram, or LinkedIn.

1 Comment

pujintao

October 23, 2022 at 6:57 am

拉肚子

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