Long time no see: elder statesmen make rare public appearance at China’s top table
Two former presidents and congress’s eldest delegate 102-year-old Song Ping shown plenty of respect at opening ceremony
Whatever power struggles may or may not be going on behind the scenes of China’s party congress, none of the delegates appeared to have lost their respect for their elders, at least not in front of the television cameras.
As President Xi Jinping appeared from behind the curtain that had been shielding the conclave’s decision-making presidium at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Wednesday, it was clear he was opting for a gentle walking pace so as not to pull too far ahead of the two men immediately behind him – 91-year-old Jiang Zemin and 75-year-old Hu Jintao, his two immediate predecessors.
The two elder statesmen were escorted by attentive aides.
Jiang appeared to be in fine fettle as he entered the auditorium for the opening ceremony. His mere appearance at the most important political event in China for the past five years was enough for him to steal the show, bearing in mind he had been reported to be in poor health before the start of the event. More than once in recent years he has been reported to have died.