China: echoes of authoritarian past as Xi Jinping cements his place at the heart of a Communist Party now entirely built around him

It has been suggested that the removal of Hu Jintao, Xi Jinping’s predecessor, from the closing ceremony of the 20th Communist Party congress could overshadow all other news from Beijing during the past week. Was there a health reason for this dramatic development – or was it a live purge, planned or even spontaneously decided by the Chinese president to send a clear message to everyone in the party? We may never find out.

But the photo capturing the moment of Hu being escorted out of the congress, looking…

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