Former China leader Hu Jintao escorted out of party congress

Former Chinese President Hu Jintao was unexpectedly escorted out of Saturday’s closing ceremony of the Communist party congress in Beijing.

The frail-looking Hu, 79, was sitting next to current President Xi Jinping when he was approached by a steward who repeatedly tried to lift him from his seat, according to media reports. A video captured by AFP showed Hu then being escorted out by two officials. As he was leaving, Hu exchanged a few words with Xi and patted Premier Li Keqiang, seated to the right of Xi, on the shoulder.

No explanation was given for his departure, with some analysts speculating Hu has serious health problems. According to Reuters, Hu had already appeared slightly unsteady during the opening ceremony last Sunday.

As the week-long congress, taking place in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, draws to a close, the Communist party is expected to confirm Xi, 69, for an unprecedented third five-year term.

The congress effectively removed four of the seven members of senior leadership — including Premier Li Keqiang, the country’s second-highest official, the Associated Press reported. It also wrote Xi’s major policy initiatives on the economy and the military into the party’s constitution, the AP said.