28 Facts About Hu Jintao

Hu Jintao was born on 21 December 1942 and is a Chinese retired politician who served as the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party from 2002 to 2012, the president of China from 2003 to 2013, and chairman of the Central Military Commission from 2004 to 2012.

Hu Jintao was a member of the CCP Politburo Standing Committee, China's de facto top decision-making body, from 1992 to 2012.

Hu Jintao moved up to first secretary of the CCP Central Secretariat and vice president under CCP general secretary Jiang Zemin.

Hu Jintao sought to improve socio-economic equality domestically through the Scientific Outlook on Development, which aimed to build a "Harmonious Socialist Society" that was prosperous and free of social conflict.

Hu Jintao's tenure was characterized by collective leadership and consensus-based rule.

Hu Jintao's administration was known for its focus more on technocratic competence than persona.

Hu Jintao was born on 21 December 1942 in Tai County, Jiangsu province, which was under Japanese occupation at the time.

Hu Jintao is a direct descendant of the Ming dynasty general Hu Zongxian, known for fighting Japanese pirates.

Hu Jintao's mother was a teacher and died when he was 7, and he was raised by an aunt.

Hu Jintao joined the Chinese Communist Party in April 1964.

Hu Jintao began working in July 1965 as an engineer.

Hu Jintao has been noted for his liking of table tennis and ballroom dancing.

In 1985, Communist Party general secretary Hu Yaobang pushed for Hu Jintao to be transferred to Guizhou as the provincial Committee secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.

In 1987, Hu Jintao handled the local students protest parallel to the Democracy Wall carefully, whereas in Beijing similar protests resulted in Hu Yaobang's forced resignation.

Hu Yaobang was purged by Deng Xiaoping in 1987 due to his 'liberal' tendencies, and his departure from the political scene was initially seen as unfavourable towards Hu Jintao, who drew criticism from party elders for failing to criticize the ousted reformer.

In 1988, Hu Jintao was transferred to become Party Regional Committee secretary of the Tibetan Autonomous Region, while taking on the role of Political Commissar of the local People's Liberation Army units.

On 15 November 2002, a new Hu Jintao-led Politburo nominally succeeded Jiang, thus informally, had become the paramount leader.

Hu Jintao was re-elected as chairman of the PRC Central Military Commission.

In 2009, Chinese leader Hu Jintao called for a bolstered arms control agenda at the United Nations General Assembly, joining United States President Barack Obama's earlier calls for a nuclear-free world.

Hu Jintao sought to develop China's relationship with Japan, which he visited in 2008.

Hu Jintao downgraded relations with Russia because of unfulfilled deals.

Hu Jintao cancelled many events that are traditionally practiced, such as the lavish send-off and welcoming-back ceremonies of Chinese leaders when visiting foreign lands.

On 12 April 2008, Hu Jintao met with Taiwan's vice president-elect Vincent Siew in the latter's role as chairman of the Cross-strait Common Market Foundation during the Boao Forum for Asia.

On 26 March 2008, Hu Jintao held a telephone talk with then US president George W Bush, in which he became the first Chinese leader to officially recognize the 1992 Consensus.

At the 20th Communist Party Congress closing ceremony on 22 October 2022 in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Hu Jintao, who had been sitting next to incumbent Party general secretary Xi Jinping, was removed from his chair by two men in suits and name badges and "inexplicably led out of the hall".

The video shows Hu Jintao holding official documents next to his red ballot folder before Li Zhanshu takes the documents from Hu and covers them with Hu's ballot folder whilst whispering to him.

Xi Jinping, who has been monitoring this event, calls for the staff and Hu Jintao is soon escorted out.

Hu Jintao appeared in public alongside Xi Jinping on 5 December 2022, attending the farewell ceremony before Jiang's body was cremated in Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery.