Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei has said China's government has shown its ruthlessness with its treatment of former President Hu Jintao, according to reports.
During China's Communist Party five-yearly Congress over the weekend, Hu was forcibly escorted out of the room, sparking confusion for global onlookers.
These conferences are expected to be well choreographed and run smoothly.
China's state media has offered an explanation as the moment went viral over the weekend.
Xinhuanet reporter Liu Jiawen has learned that Hu Jintao insisted on attending the closing session of the Party's 20th National Congress, despite the fact that he has been taking time to recuperate recently.
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) October 22, 2022
"Xinhuanet reporter Liu Jiawen has learned that Hu Jintao insisted on attending the closing session of the Party's 20th National Congress, despite the fact that he has been taking time to recuperate recently," the Twitter channel China Xinhau News tweeted on October 22.
It followed this up with another tweet that read: "When he was not feeling well during the session, his staff, for his health, accompanied him to a room next to the meeting venue for a rest. Now, he is much better."
However, the video footage of the moment appears to show Hu initially resist being hoisted up by one individual before another comes in to assist.
The pair then begin speaking to Hu and ushering him away, with one holding him by the arm. At one moment, he also appeared to say something to Jinping who nodded dismissively.
Ai, who spoke in Tokyo on Monday at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan, reflected on the incident.
"They called the president's private guard to escort him out," he said in video shared on YouTube by the French international news agency AFP.
"Basically it's to carry him out. So he was so frustrated. And the most funny thing is all the people sitting there, they dare not even see what's happening.
"They all faced [forward] like nothing had happened."
According to a France 24 report, He continued: "It's very much like a fake photo of reality, because nobody moves, nobody blinks their eyes even, he is just forced out.
"But it shows the top central government leaders are ruthless. A big nation, 1.4 billion people, are controlled by a group of people who have no respect.
"Really doesn't even have personal feelings, emotions, or even just friendship or to care a little bit."
Ai is most commonly known as the artist who helped design the Bird's Nest stadium for Beijing's 2008 Olympics. However he fell out of a favor in the country when he began criticizing the Chinese government.
He was imprisoned for 81 days in 2001 and eventually left for Germany in 2015, according to a the France 24 report.
Ai said Chinese leaders "don't care that much about the money issue any more, they want to reinterpret the world order"
"Not only China but also Russia, Putin also mentioned that. They don't like the way the game has been designed by the West, which has many problems too."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Gerrard Kaonga is a Newsweek U.S. News Reporter and is based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on U.S. ... Read more
