Portrait of Hu Jintao
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Hu Jintao on Xi Jinping

Predecessor of significance Position evolved

TL;DR

Hu Jintao's legacy involves both establishing policies later taken up by Xi Jinping and a reported political confrontation in 2022.

Key Points

  • The formal shift away from Deng Xiaoping's guideline of "hide and bide" began under the former leader in 2009 when he called for China to “Actively Accomplish Something.”

  • On October 22, 2022, Hu Jintao was unexpectedly escorted out of the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the CCP while Xi Jinping was present.

  • Scholars suggest that the ideological left-right conflict within the Party, which climaxed with Xi Jinping's conservative turn around 2015, was already visible during Hu Jintao's second term.

Summary

Hu Jintao's role in relation to Xi Jinping is complex, marked by both the policy foundations he laid and a dramatic public removal incident. Scholars argue that the increasingly assertive foreign policy adopted under Xi has its roots in a Party consensus that emerged during Hu's administration, specifically when Hu shifted from Deng Xiaoping's "hide and bide" strategy to emphasizing the need to "Actively Accomplish Something" in 2009. Furthermore, an analysis of domestic political tension suggests that the ideological "two-line struggle" between conservatives and reformers spanned Hu's tenure and continued into Xi's early years, with Xi ultimately siding with the conservatives around 2015, which explains the sharp conservative turn after an initial reformist period under Xi.

However, the most visible interaction between the two leaders was the highly publicized removal of Hu Jintao from the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the CCP on October 22, 2022, where he was escorted out following instructions from Xi Jinping. While official state media offered a health-related explanation, reports indicated Hu appeared reluctant to leave and may have been questioning documents on his table. This incident is often interpreted as a deliberate political act by Xi to publicly diminish his predecessor, though others suggested it was merely due to ill health, with a ban on domestic media coverage of the event seeming to support a less confrontational view. Unverified reports have also alleged that Hu Jintao later issued a stern warning to Xi regarding his consolidation of power.

Frequently Asked Questions

Hu Jintao has not made a direct, sustained public statement outlining his current position on Xi Jinping's entire tenure. The primary public indication of their relationship was the highly unusual incident where Hu was removed from the 20th Party Congress in October 2022, an event which has led to various interpretations regarding their political relationship.

The exact cause of Hu Jintao’s removal is officially uncertain, with state media citing ill health, according to reports from October 2022. However, footage showed him appearing reluctant to leave, and analysts widely interpreted the event as a deliberate political move orchestrated by the incumbent General Secretary, Xi Jinping, to signal a break with the past.

Yes, policy continuity exists, as China's increasingly assertive foreign policy began to emerge during Hu Jintao's term after the 2008 financial crisis, as noted by policy experts. Furthermore, the intra-party political struggle over reform versus conservatism that defined Hu's later years laid the groundwork for the conservative policies that consolidated under Xi Jinping after 2015.