Former Chinese President Hu Jintao was unexpectedly escorted out of the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress on Saturday, Reuters reports.
Driving the news: Hu, who was sitting next to President Xi Jinping, was led off the stage by two stewards.
- An explanation was not given for the incident that took place in front of media during a highly choreographed event, NBC reports.
Thought bubble, via Axios' Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian: Though the reason behind Hu’s unexpected removal remains unknown, the attention it has garnered underscores the opacity that characterizes the machinations of Chinese elite politics — leaving onlookers to read the tea leaves.
