The Atlantic

Hu Jintao’s Exit Was Mysterious. Xi Jinping’s Power Play Is Not.

The most surprising moment at the Communist Party Congress only reinforced its larger theme.
Source: NOEL CELIS / AFP / Getty

Because the Chinese Communist Party is among the world’s most secretive political organizations, China watchers jump on any new piece of information that might imply something about the country’s direction. Today, we were given an unexpected detail. In the middle of today’s session of the 20th Communist Party Congress, former General Secretary Hu Jintao was abruptly escorted off stage. Hu initially appeared to resist being moved, and two men pulled him up rather gruffly. China’s current leader, Xi Jinping, was sitting next to

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