‘All the king’s men’: Emperor Xi reigns supreme in China

The 20th National Congress from 16–22 October was the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) most important political event of 2022 and, if any were ever in doubt, it demonstrated that Chairman Xi Jinping is the nucleus of power in China and that none can dare stand against him.
There was absolutely no question that Xi would extend his time in office for another five years-and in fact, it will be far longer than that barring ill health-and that is precisely what happened at the congress. China has a one-man ruler, something that both its citizens and the rest of the world will have to learn to deal with. The election of the 25-member Politburo and its seven-man Politburo Standing Committee (PSC), as well as the post of General Secretary, occurred during the 1st Plenary Session of the new Central Committee on October 23. However, the most spectacular, mystifying, and alarming part of this follow-on session was the forcible removal of former president Hu Jintao from the Great Hall of the People from the seat at Xi’s left hand.
The official explanation? Xinhua tweeted that one of its reporters had “learned” that 79-year-old Hu “insisted on attending the closing session despite the fact that he has been taking time to recuperate recently. When he was not feeling well during the session, his staff, for his health, accompanied him to a room next to the meeting. Now, he is much better.
That is a relief! But only if the gullible reader believes everything that China’s propaganda organ publishes. One can recall how Xinhua, ten years ago, stated that Chongqing vice-mayor Wang Lijun was enjoying “vacation-style medical treatment,” when in actuality he was incarcerated in prison.
To believe that this was an instance of Hu suddenly feeling well does not accord well with video footage of the incident. He appeared to ask Xi and Li Keqiang a question, both of whom nodded.
Xi then prevented Hu from taking some nearby papers, but what followed next was unprecedented.