Former Chinese President, Hu Jintao, escorted out of China party congress

Former Chinese President Hu Jintao has been led out of the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress. The 79-year-old was sitting beside President Xi Jinping when he was approached and led away by officials. No explanation was given.

The party is expected to confirm Mr Xi, 69, for a historic third term. The event, held in Beijing every five years, cemented his position as China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong. Hu Jintao, who was President between 2003 and 2013, was on stage when two officials approached him. He said something to Xi Jinping, who nodded back.

The footage of Mr Hu being asked to leave the stage is drawing global attention as people try to work out what happened. In his opening statement, Mr Xi hailed the crushing of the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong as a move from "chaos to governance". He also reaffirmed China's right to use force to seize the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

On Sunday he is expected to be officially confirmed for a third term as general secretary and to unveil his new leadership team. In 2018, he abolished the presidential two-term limit, paving the way for him to rule indefinitely.