Speculation over Chinese President Xi Jinping's health has surfaced following claims by Chinese dissident Wanjun Xie that Xi fainted during the BRICS summit in New Delhi and later suffered a severe ischaemic stroke. Xie made the claims in a series of posts on X, but there has been no official confirmation from Beijing that Xi fainted, suffered a stroke or was hospitalised. MEA has posted on X warning that malicious and fake posts about the health of leaders who attended the summit are circulating online.
Xie alleged that Xi was flown back to Beijing for emergency treatment at the People's Liberation Army General Hospital, commonly known as 301 Hospital. He further claimed that Xi underwent surgery and was monitored in an intensive care unit. The posts have not been independently verified, and one of them received a community note on X flagging the claim as inconsistent with facts.
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Xi skipped BRICS dinner after meeting PM Modi
Xi arrived in New Delhi on September 12 for the 18th BRICS summit, marking his first visit to India in seven years. He attended the summit and held a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi before not attending a gala dinner hosted by Modi at Bharat Mandapam.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and other BRICS leaders attended the dinner, while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi represented Beijing. Reports at the time said Xi had returned to his hotel to rest after a busy day, although there was no official explanation for his absence.
