A dramatic video claiming Chinese President Xi Jinping demanded that the United States and Israel surrender their nuclear weapons to prevent World War III is circulating online again, but there is no evidence he ever made the statement.
The clip resurfaced as Xi travelled to the United States for a state visit from 23 to 25 September, giving the months-old misinformation fresh relevance as attention turns to relations between Beijing and Washington.
What the Viral Video Claims
The video presents Xi as saying the United States and Israel pose a major threat to the world 'like a plague' and that both countries must disarm their nuclear weapons to save humanity from a third world war.
Those remarks would represent an extraordinary escalation in China's rhetoric towards Washington and Israel. However, searches of official Chinese records do not show Xi delivering either statement.
The nuclear ultimatum circulated earlier in 2026 through social media videos carrying subtitles that purported to translate Xi's remarks.
Fact-checkers traced footage used in versions of the claim to Xi's New Year address, delivered on 31 December 2025. His actual speech did not contain the purported demand that Washington and Israel give up their nuclear arsenals.
There is likewise no official record of Xi describing the two countries as a 'plague' in the language presented by the viral posts.
🚨🇨🇳🇺🇸🇮🇱 Chinese President Xi Jinping:
— X Global (@X_Global_tv) September 23, 2026
"In the world we live in, the two countries that pose a major threat, like a plague in terms of epidemics, are the United States and Israel."
"If we want to save the world from World War III, Israel and the United States will have to…
What China Actually Says About Nuclear Weapons
China does advocate eventual nuclear disarmament, but its documented policy is substantially different from the ultimatum attributed to Xi.
In its 2026 report on implementation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Beijing called for the complete prohibition and eventual destruction of nuclear weapons through a step-by-step process.
China also maintains a no-first-use policy and says countries possessing the largest nuclear arsenals should take primary responsibility for making substantial reductions.
On Israel specifically, China has called for the country to join the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon state and place its nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.
Those positions are documented diplomatic policies, rather than evidence that Xi personally demanded that Israel and the United States immediately disarm to prevent World War III.
Old Claim Resurfaces During Xi's US Visit
The timing is notable because Xi arrived in the United States on 23 September for talks during a period of intense geopolitical tension.
Yet his verified message upon arriving presented a striking contrast with the viral clip. Xi said China and the United States should be 'partners, not rivals' and expressed confidence that the countries could find the right way to coexist.
There is no evidence that Xi's US visit caused the old video to resurface.
Its renewed circulation instead demonstrates how manipulated or falsely subtitled political footage can return when the people featured are back in the news.
For viewers encountering the clip without its history, the fabricated quotation could appear to be a new warning from Beijing. The available evidence shows otherwise: Xi has advocated nuclear disarmament, but the viral World War III ultimatum was not his.
The misleading video therefore significantly misrepresents both Xi's remarks and China's publicly stated nuclear weapons policy.
