Guards lead former Chinese President Hu Jintao away from the Communist Party closing ceremony

GUARDIANS led former Chinese President Hu Jintao out of the closing ceremony of the Communist Party Congress yesterday.

Hu, 79, sat next to successor Xi Jinping on stage before two stewards ushered him out of the Beijing hall.

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One was caught on camera repeatedly trying to lift Hu out of his seat.

Hu then put his hand on a piece of paper on Xi’s file, but Xi quickly put his hand over it.

After Hu finally got up, China’s top legislator Li Zhanshu wiped his head with a handkerchief.

He also handed over the ex-president’s file to a steward.

Desperate, Hu seemed to struggle to leave, eventually turning back to his seat.

On the way out, he exchanged words with Xi and patted Premier Li Keqiang on the shoulder.

The video was widely circulated on Twitter but could not be found on China’s heavily censored social media.

China’s state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that Hu was escorted out of the chamber after feeling unwell.

Hu, president from 2003 to 2013, appeared unsteady on his feet at the opening ceremony a week ago.