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The incident saw Xi turning toward Hu as he prepared to leave. Li Zhanshu, chair of the national legislature’s Standing Committee -- who was sitting on Hu’s other side -- tried to physically assist the former leader, until party secretariat chief Wang Huning gestured for him to stand down.

The official Xinhua News agency reported that Hu had “insisted” on attending the session even though he had been recuperating recently, according to its official Twitter account. His staff accompanied him to a separate room to rest after he felt unwell during the session and Hu is “much better” now, Xinhua said.

On China’s Twitter-like Weibo, the incident appeared to have been censored, with searches for Hu Jintao only returning posts published before the weekend on Saturday afternoon. While the platform’s top ten trending items were dominated by the congress, Hu’s early exit wasn’t among them.

President Xi Jinping is officially set for a third term surrounded by allies, after key Communist Party officials without close ties to the Chinese leader exited the nation’s top leadership body.

Xi, 69, presided over the closing session of the congress on Saturday at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. In a moment of unscripted drama, a frail-looking Hu Jintao, 79 -- Xi’s predecessor who was seated next to the Chinese leader -- was escorted out of the event for unknown reasons before it closed Saturday, causing some momentary disruption on stage.

Xi’s presence on the Central Committee confirmed the end of the party’s informal retirement age of 68, which had held for two decades. In all, almost two-thirds of the body -- including full and alternate members -- are new, the highest turnover in 25 years.

Former president Jiang Zemin established the retirement rule in the party’s 2002 reshuffle. The two-term succession system was established by reformer Deng Xiaoping three decades ago to avoid a return to the personality-driven rule of Mao Zedong.

It was kept in place by Hu Jintao, whose exit mid-way through Saturday’s session carried symbolic weight. Officials closely associated with Hu have largely been removed from the next Politburo, with the exception of Vice Premier Hu Chunhua. Mentions of Hu Jintao’s early departure from the congress session were censored within China.

The biggest question now heading into Sunday is whether Hu Chunhua, the most high-profile figure without close connections with Xi, will get a position on the Politburo Standing Committee. Wang Yang’s departure leaves Hu Chunhua as the only Central Committee member that has experience as vice premier, which has been a prerequisite for nearly every premier.

Still, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier that Li Qiang, the party chief of Shanghai and a close Xi aide, is set to become premier -- a move that would further erode the lines between the party and the government. It’s possible that Li Qiang could yet be named a vice premier in the months ahead of the next National People’s Congress session in March, when top government roles are filled.

Xinhua’s explanation is not consistent with the video. For instance, in the video no one shows the surprise or concern one would expect to see in a medical emergency. Xi Jinping is especially disrespectful.

Hong Kong stocks hit 13-year low as Chinese growth slows

Hang Seng index falls as much as 3% to lowest level since May 2009

Shares in Hong Kong dropped to their lowest level since the end of the global financial crisis as investors reacted to the city’s economic recovery plans and the 20th Chinese Communist party congress in Beijing, where President Xi Jinping is expected to secure a third term.