Former Chinese Premiers Rare Public Appearance Fuels Questions About Beijings Internal Politics

Former Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (L) and Vice President Wang Qishan attend the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) at the Great Hall of the People on October 22, 2022 in Beijing, China. Lintao Zhang/Getty ImagesFormer Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, largely absent from public view for more than a decade, made a rare and unusually public appearance in Beijing on March 27, fueling fresh speculation about power dynamics inside the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).Photos and videos circulating on overseas platforms showed the 83-year-old visiting the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In the footage, a smiling Wen walking alongside staff kept waving to onlookers. He also offered a traditional clasped-fist greeting several times and stopped a few times to greet the crowd before getting into a vehicle awaiting him.