In recent years, there have been constant rumors about the poor health of the Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping, including rumors of a “stroke”, but these have not been confirmed. According to foreign media reports, a former senior official from the CIA recently revealed that China’s former Foreign Minister, Qin Gang, confirmed that Xi Jinping enjoys drinking, and the two of them often drink to the point of losing consciousness during official visits.
On September 12, Xi Jinping traveled to New Delhi, India to attend the BRICS Summit, but he was absent from the leaders’ dinner that evening, sparking speculation about his health issues. Negative rumors such as a “stroke” circulated online, drawing widespread attention from the overseas community. There is no reliable evidence in public information to confirm that Xi Jinping had a stroke. However, a video circulating online showed Xi Jinping appearing to struggle as he walked up the stairs to his plane when leaving New Delhi.
The Wall Street Journal cited insiders on September 18, revealing that Xi Jinping indeed missed the BRICS leaders’ dinner in India due to feeling unwell, and Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended in his place.
The report mentioned that Dennis Wild, a former senior official of the CIA and currently working at Georgetown University, described Xi Jinping as overweight, not fond of exercise, and a long-time lover of alcohol.
Former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang once told Wild that Xi Jinping “likes to drink,” and the two of them often drank Moutai liquor together during long flights, resulting in a close relationship.
Wild recalled, “They would drink until they were out of it.”
Qin Gang had held various positions within the Chinese Foreign Ministry and was considered one of Xi Jinping’s close confidants who was promoted to high positions with special trust. However, he “disappeared” at the end of June 2023 and was dismissed a month later, “resigning” from his position as a Central Committee member at the 20th Third Plenum of the CPC in July 2024.
Regarding Xi Jinping’s love for alcohol, well-known scholar Yuan Hongbing in Australia has also previously revealed this in a program on New Tang Dynasty Television.
Yuan Hongbing, who once taught at Peking University, was drinking buddies with Xi Jinping during a period when Xi frequently returned to Beijing from his post in Xiamen. They often shared a bottle of Moutai, pouring and drinking for themselves, almost finishing the bottle at the same time. Xi Jinping is not very talkative in the first half of drinking, but once more than half of the Moutai bottle is consumed, he becomes talkative and loquacious.
On June 20, 2005, Xi Jinping, then Secretary of the Zhejiang Provincial Party Committee, hosted a meeting and banquet with Maotai Group Chairman Ji Keliang and Maotai Liquor Co., Ltd. Chairman Yuan Renguo at the West Lake State Guesthouse. Xi Jinping stated that he has always enjoyed drinking Moutai liquor, and his secretary Li Qiang joked, “Our Secretary Xi is so healthy because of long-term consumption of Moutai liquor.”
In recent years, the interactions between the Chinese Communist Party and its “communist little brothers” have often involved Moutai liquor as a medium. On March 26, 2018, Xi Jinping hosted a banquet for visiting North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Observant netizens noted that the servers were holding two bottles of “Moutai with a short spout,” a rare type in the market and considered a specialty liquor with an online selling price of up to 1.28 million RMB per bottle at the time.
In the realm of the Chinese Communist Party, there are often instances of officials gathering to drink during political study sessions, sometimes resulting in fatal consequences. In recent years, the official Chinese reports have disclosed multiple fatal incidents of officials gathering to drink. For example, in December 2022, during a training session at the Qinghai Provincial Party School related to the “Twentieth Congress,” six senior officials of the CPC drank seven bottles of liquor together, resulting in one fatality. The incident was only made public nearly half a year later.
Regarding Xi Jinping’s unsteady gait when walking, commentator Du Zheng analyzed in an article for Taiwan’s “Up Media” that there were online rumors suggesting Xi Jinping might be suffering from gout, and medically speaking, alcohol consumption is closely related to gout.
Du Zheng expressed that throughout history, the indulgence in wine and lust can lead to the downfall of a nation. Xi Jinping had once vehemently criticized high-ranking officials of the CCP: “You people either die at the dining table or in bed.” Xi Jinping sees the rampant corruption in the party as a threat to its collapse and must act urgently. However, the CCP is fundamentally incapable of banning alcohol because Xi Jinping himself enjoys drinking. If this drinking culture continues, he might also fall victim to it, leading to the demise of the party and the nation.