The Real Hu Jintao Stands Up

Ten years ago, when Hu Jintao became the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), there was much uncertainty mixed with hope about who Hu would turn about to be. At the 18th Party Congress held last month, Hu gave his final answer: Hu Jintao is a loyal adherent of the CCP who always put the Party’s interests first.

Former Chinese Communist Party head Hu Jintao and former Party head Jiang Zemin raise their hands during the closing session of the 18th Party Congress on Nov. 14, 2012, in Beijing. Hu visited Yancheng City, Jiangsu to deal with a Falun Gong matter in December, according to a source. Feng Li/Getty Images

Ten years ago, when Hu Jintao became the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), there was much uncertainty mixed with hope about who Hu would turn about to be.Since then, much ink has been spilled about who is the real Hu. At the 18th Party Congress held last month, Hu gave his final answer: Hu Jintao is a loyal adherent of the CCP who always put the Party’s interests first.

Only in the last few months of his tenure did Hu Jintao seem to emerge from out of the shadows of the previous Party head, Jiang Zemin. In any case, prior to the Party Congress, Hu Jintao was undoubtedly in charge, and in the Congress’s conclusion, Hu’s handiwork was put on display.