My Take | Unhealthy talk about mini-purge by Xi Jinping could not be further from the truth
- The early departure of Hu Jintao towards the end of the party congress has caused wild speculation among the Western media despite illness appearing the most probable cause
The unexpected early departure of former Chinese president Hu Jintao from the stage at the Great Hall of the People towards the end of the meeting of the Communist Party congress has set tongues wagging on the internet. Foreign media have gone wild with speculation whether it was actually a staged mini-purge.
I interviewed a true China expert from Hong Kong to try to determine what actually happened. To avoid controversy, he prefers not to be named.
So, was it a mini-purge, 10 years too late?
The exact reasons for Hu’s earlier than expected departure are not clear. But it was extremely unlikely to have been a purge. It was more likely to have been for health reasons. It’s not in the character of President Xi Jinping to do something like that.
I saw footage from after the meeting where Xi stayed briefly on stage and talked to other retired leaders. He was smiling and relaxed. The 105-year-old Song Ping also talked to Xi. It was hardly a scene of a Stalinesque purge.
Could it have been Xi’s way of sending a message, a warning of sorts?
