Chinese President XI Jinping Reportedly Missing Following 'Suffering Health' Emergency at Summit

Chinese President Xi Jinping became the subject of a swirling global rumour mill this week after social media posts claimed he suffered a medical emergency during the BRICS Summit in New Delhi on 12 September, though India's foreign ministry has dismissed the claims as 'misleading' and 'malicious'.

To recall, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paused his opening remarks at the summit when a commotion was seen to his left, with Modi heard asking 'Is it OK?' as Xi adjusted his translation earpiece. A later video has been cited as showing that the moment was unrelated to Xi's health, contradicting social media interpretations that Modi had noticed the Chinese leader was unwell.

The moment nevertheless became part of the online speculation surrounding Xi's health, with unverified claims continuing to circulate.

What Sparked the Xi Jinping Health Concerns

Xi was attending his first visit to India in seven years for the 18th BRICS Summit, held over 12 and 13 September. He skipped a gala dinner hosted by Modi for BRICS leaders on the evening of 12 September, which fuelled further online speculation.

China's foreign ministry said Xi departed New Delhi on the afternoon of 13 September after 'successfully concluding' his attendance, with senior Indian officials seeing him off at the airport. China's official records also show Xi attending the summit on 13 September.

That official account has been contrasted online with claims made by Wanjun Xie, chairman of the China Democracy Party and a former Tiananmen Square student protester.

In a series of posts on X, Xie claimed Xi fainted at the summit, was flown home on a special aircraft rather than treated in India and was later diagnosed at Beijing's 301 Hospital with what he called a 'severe ischemic stroke'. These claims have not been independently verified.

He went further, alleging Xi walked unsteadily up the aircraft steps and leaned repeatedly to one side, and that no welcoming delegation greeted him back in Beijing.

None of those claims has been confirmed by the Chinese or Indian governments. Xie's post received a community note on X stating that it was inconsistent with the facts, while subsequent reporting has found no independent medical evidence supporting the alleged stroke or hospitalisation.

Nothing is confirmed, so claims from that thread should be treated with caution.

Officials Push Back on the Speculation

India's Ministry of External Affairs used its fact-checking arm on 17 September to address the rumours directly, describing social media posts about the health of Xi and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa as 'misleading' and cautioning against 'malicious' claims circulating online.

Ramaphosa's office did separately confirm that the South African president had been 'booked off from public engagements' due to ill health after returning from India. However, his office did not provide details about the nature or severity of his illness or link it to the BRICS Summit.

Commentators critical of the Chinese Communist Party, including author Gordon Chang and Washington Times correspondent Bill Gertz, have amplified speculation on social media, with Gertz referring to claims of rival military factions mobilising while also stressing there was 'no confirmation' of them.

Chinese dissident Jennifer Zeng separately floated a claim that Xi is suffering from cerebellar atrophy, again without independent verification.

The speculation has emerged against a backdrop of limited publicly available information about the health of China's top leadership. However, there is currently no independently verified evidence that Xi suffered a stroke, was hospitalised or experienced a medical emergency during or after the BRICS Summit.

IBTimes UK cannot independently verify claims of a stroke, hospitalisation or any medical emergency involving Xi Jinping, and readers should treat unofficial accounts with appropriate caution. India's Ministry of External Affairs has specifically warned against misleading and malicious social media claims concerning the health of BRICS leaders.