Rumors that Chinese President Xi Jinping has suffered a stroke have gone viral on Russian social media, causing a stir and leading to speculative reports.
The incident reportedly occurred during the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) third plenary consultation, which took a position from Monday to Thursday. Chinese analysts widely expect that the meetings, attended by the party’s most sensible leaders, are symptoms of political tweaks that can outline the direction of the country’s development.
The rumor gained momentum on Wednesday when she reported through Jennifer Zeng, a human rights activist who previously worked at the Falun Gong-backed anti-CCP news outlet The Epoch Times, about her exposé “Jennifer Zeng’s Inconvenient Truths. “
“Since yesterday, Chinese social media has been abuzz with data that ‘big’ events have happened,” Zeng wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
The foreign ministries of China and Russia did not respond to written requests for comment.
The Russian news agency RuNews24 amplified the rumors with the headline: “There is a tragedy in China: the life of Chinese leader Xi Jinping hangs in the balance. “Another Russian media outlet, Hibiny, reported that “Chinese leader Xi Jinping has suffered a stroke,” adding that “he is on the verge of death” and that “doctors are now fighting for his life. “
Both appeals pointed to a lack of concrete and noted the lack of an official Chinese response.
The rumors circulated in the Ukrainian media.
Kiev-based Channel 24 quoted political scientist Oleksiy Buriachenko as saying that if Xi was indeed ill, it could have an effect on customers for a ceasefire in the Russian-Ukrainian war. “Neither Donald Trump and the Republicans, nor Joseph Biden and the Democrats want destabilization in the direction of China,” Buriachenko added.
Xi has positioned China as an impartial actor in the long-term peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. However, Beijing has been criticized for censoring Moscow’s pacifist grievance on Chinese social media, with Chinese drones and electronic parts contributing to the Russian war effort.
China sent a representative to peace talks in Switzerland last month, highlighting the lack of an invitation from Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused China of actively rushing to convince other countries to attend the summit, which the foreign network had highlighted. bind.
In a post published on Thursday, Zheng defended himself against accusations of spreading false data, saying that he had obviously presented the data as rumors.
It is not the first time that hypotheses have arisen about Xi’s health. In 2022, rumors circulated that he had been hospitalized, likely due to an aneurysm. Similar phenomena have arisen periodically, following vital political events.
Micah McCartney is a Newsweek reporter in Taipei, Taiwan. It covers United States-China relations, security issues in East and Southeast Asia, and China-Taiwan relations. Send tips or suggestions to Micah at m. mccartney@newsweek. com.
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