On October 23, 2026, on the eve of the sensitive period before the 5th Plenary Session of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Hu Chunhua, a prominent member of the Youth League faction and Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, was notably absent from the CCP’s “Long March” commemoration event, raising concerns from the public. Former Inner Mongolian official Du Wen revealed that Hu Chunhua and his family have been out of contact.
On October 22, 2026, the CCP held a high-profile event at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the so-called Long March. The CCP’s seven Politburo Standing Committee members and Vice Premier of the State Council Han Zheng attended the meeting, with CCP leader Xi Jinping delivering a speech. According to Xinhua News Agency, national-level high-ranking officials including members of the CCP Central Political Bureau, Secretary of the Central Secretariat, Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, State Councilors, and Vice Chairmen of the National Committee of the CPPCC attended the event.
CCTV’s live broadcast showed a group of current and former national-level officials seated at the main table. However, Hu Chunhua, Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC, was conspicuously missing from the scene.
CCTV’s footage revealed that out of the 22 current Vice Chairmen of the National Committee of the CPPCC, 18 were present at the main table, including prominent figures such as Shi Taifeng, Shen Yueyue, Zhou Qiang, Su Hui, Gao Yunlong, Xian Hui, Wang Yong, Battulga, Shao Hong, Mu Hong, Wang Dongfeng, Jiang Xinzhi, He Baoxiang, Qin Boyong, Yang Zhen, Jiang Zuojun, Wang Guangqian, and Zhu Yongxin; while 4 were absent, including Hu Chunhua, Pabala Gerelengjie, He Houkai, and Leung Chun-ying.
Pabala Gerelengjie also serves as the Chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region CPPCC, aged 86, has been absent from the national CPPCC Standing Committee meetings and Chairmen’s meetings. Former Chief Executive of Macau, He Houkai, and former Chief Executive of Hong Kong, Leung Chun-ying, are non-Beijing Vice Chairmen of the National Committee of the CPPCC. Among the absent Vice Chairmen, only Hu Chunhua was missing.
The reason for Hu Chunhua’s absence is currently unknown; there have been no reports of him participating in any public activities on October 22, 2026.
Hu Chunhua was last seen in official reports on September 28, 2026, attending the celebration of the 77th anniversary of the CCP’s founding.
On October 22, 2026, Du Wen, a former Inner Mongolian official, posted on X platform, stating, “Reliable source: Confirmation of Hu Chunhua’s disappearance! Suspected incident!” Du Wen mentioned that on the day Hu Chunhua unexpectedly missed the commemoration event of the 90th anniversary of the Long March, he immediately contacted his Beijing liaison, and through various means, confirmed that Hu Chunhua and his family were out of contact. On the other hand, there was a vague statement from a high-level source: “The shoe has dropped!” Specific information is most likely to be announced by the evening of October 25.
Political commentator Cai Shenkun posted on X platform on October 22, 2026, saying, “Has something happened to Hu Chunhua?” “Why wasn’t Hu Chunhua sitting in his expected position?” Xinhua’s report on the conference clearly mentioned that Beijing Vice Chairmen of the National Committee of the CPPCC attended the event, making Hu Chunhua’s absence even more concerning.
Cai Shenkun also noted that in high-level CCP political activities, the public appearances, seating arrangements, and consecutive absences of key figures have always been important clues for observing political trends. Hu Chunhua’s absence from the Beijing conference raises questions about whether it is simply a non-Beijing absence or if there are deeper political implications. What remains to be seen is whether he will continue to attend important CPPCC meetings, if there will be any new public activities, and if the authorities will provide further clarification on his duties or political status.
From September 8 to 20, 2026, within a two-week period, Hu Chunhua made six public appearances, including an extended visit to Shandong, the hometowns of Peng Liyuan and Ma Xingrui, and delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of an international forum in Qingdao; which had sparked speculation about a potential comeback.
For further reading: Li Yanming: Intensive public appearances by Hu Chunhua before the 5th Plenary Session, signaling what?
Hu Chunhua, a member of the Youth League faction, was once considered a popular candidate for the 20th Politburo Standing Committee of the CCP. However, at the 20th National Congress, Xi Jinping broke tradition by being re-elected, leading to the decimation of the Youth League faction, and the 59-year-old Hu Chunhua was removed from the Politburo and reassigned as Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the CPPCC.
Since the Third Plenary Session in mid-July 2024, there have been various rumors surrounding the health and power crisis of CCP leader Xi Jinping, with speculations including Xi Jinping stepping down and Hu Chunhua stepping into a leadership role, potentially being promoted to Vice Chairman of the Military Commission and succession positions.
Following the Third Plenary Session, Hu Chunhua attended several high-profile domestic and diplomatic events, significantly increasing his public exposure. This sudden rise in visibility prompted speculations, with some suggesting that Hu Chunhua might be promoted to the Political Bureau at the Fourth Plenary Session in October 2025. However, at the Fourth Plenary Session, only Zhang Shengmin was promoted to Vice Chairman of the Military Commission, without the customary promotion to the Political Bureau.