In an unusual incident at a CPC congress, former Chinese President Hu Jintao was escorted out of the hall against his will.

The state media did not explain what happened in this scene, which was watched and photographed by AFP journalists.

It appears that any recent reference to the former president's name on the Internet is subject to censorship, according to the same agency.

Staff asked Hu Jintao, who presided over China from 2003 to 2013 and is considered a reformer, to get up from his seat next to President Xi Jinping's in the front row of the People's Palace hall.

An employee tried to take the 79-year-old former president by the arm, but was refused.

The employee tried to lift him from his seat, but the former president insisted on resisting.

Hu Jintao tried to take with him documents that were on his table, apparently belonging to the president, but Xi Jinping grabbed them.

solid presence

A minute-long conversation between Hu Jintao and the employee ensued.

He was convinced to leave against his will, it seems.

The clerk escorted him holding his arm to the exit, leaving a vacant seat near Xi Jinping.

Hu Jintao's seat is empty after being removed from the People's Palace Hall in Beijing during the closing ceremonies of the Chinese Communist Party Congress (Reuters)

No official explanation was issued, while the Chinese authorities did not respond to AFP's questions in this regard, according to what it reported.

Standing up, Hu Jintao had a short dialogue with Xi Jinping, who responded without looking at him, and with Premier Li Keqiang, who patted his shoulder in a friendly manner.

The audience did not move a finger.

Hu Jintao caught the eye at the opening of the conference last Sunday by appearing with signs of aging and his hair completely white.

The facts took place shortly after journalists entered the People's Palace in Beijing to cover the closing ceremonies of the CPC Congress, but before the unanimous vote by about 2,300 CCP delegates to include the "central role" of Xi Jinping in the party charter.

On Saturday afternoon, Hu Jintao's name appeared to be censored on social media network Weibo.

Only information from the previous day or official accounts can be obtained.

Xi, 69, is supposed to get a third term as party secretary general on Sunday, which would guarantee him a third term next March.

Xi Jinping assumed leadership of China in 2012 and gradually became the most powerful leader since the founder of Mao Zedong's regime (1949-1976).

Showing great firmness against all forms of dissent, Xi has also led a massive anti-corruption campaign that has enabled him to weed out his rivals.