On August 19, 2024, the new General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Su Lin, began a three-day visit to China, meeting with Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping today. Xi has recently been the subject of negative rumors, including speculation about his health, making this meeting an opportunity to confirm or dispel these rumors. However, both the welcome ceremony and the meeting video today did not feature close-ups of Xi. The official Chinese media only released Xi’s close-up images in the late afternoon, sparking discussions. On the other hand, the Vietnamese side released group photos as usual, leading to speculation.
Traditionally, when important foreign guests visit Beijing and are welcomed by Xi Jinping or engage in meetings with him, the Chinese state broadcaster CCTV would quickly air brief reports with close-ups of Xi. However, today, CCTV and related official media outlets took a different approach.
In the three-minute meeting footage released by CCTV, the entire session was filmed from a distance, focusing on a long table without close-up shots of Xi, Su Lin, or others, with only audio of Xi Jinping’s opening remarks. When Xi met Su Lin, Xinhua News Agency and CCTV quickly reported the news but did not release any photos.
Similarly, the earlier footage released by CCTV of the welcome ceremony only showed a distant scene outside the Great Hall in Beijing, with the individuals appearing small and unclear, making it difficult to identify Xi Jinping. In contrast, the Vietnamese authorities released multiple group photos of Xi Jinping and his wife with Su Lin and her husband, as well as images of Xi and Su Lin inspecting the honor guard up close.
There were no photos of Xi and Su Lin signing the documents.
Aside from CCTV, other Chinese official media outlets such as Xinhua News Agency and People’s Daily did not immediately release any photos of Xi Jinping welcoming Su Lin on that day. Such actions have sparked numerous discussions on overseas websites and social media platforms, especially on X.
Under a video of the Xi-Su meeting posted on the X channel of the China News Service’s YouTube channel, netizens commented: “Where is the Chinese side?” “No close-ups make it suspicious.” “Is the Chairman playing tricks somewhere?”
On X, users said: “The screen is too small: Is there a stand-in for Xi Jinping?” “It’s confirmed: the ‘Xi Jinping welcomes Su Lin ceremony’ must have been done by a stand-in, otherwise they wouldn’t film from such a long distance, like two ants, unheard of in news history!”
Writer Shang Guan Luanshuai said, “Strange, the video of Xi Jinping meeting Su Lin released by the China News Service is just audio with no visual of the individuals. Moreover, it was all wide shots, and even Xi Jinping’s seating position was unclear. Has such a situation occurred in the past?”
After sparking discussions on overseas social media platforms, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese Communist Party, Hua Chunying, finally posted a close-up photo of Xi and Su Lin during the welcome ceremony on X after 1:30 pm Beijing time.
It wasn’t until nearly 4 pm that Xinhua News Agency released nine photos of Xi Jinping welcoming Su Lin with military honors and images of both parties engaging in discussions, including distant scenes and close-ups. CCTV News also broadcasted the related close-up footage of Xi Jinping and Su Lin in the evening at 6 o’clock. From the images, Xi Jinping’s demeanor did not seem significantly different from before.
While the Chinese official media unusually reported on Xi Jinping during the day, the Vietnamese authorities released multiple photos as usual, including group photos of Xi Jinping and his wife with Su Lin and her husband, as well as photos of Xi and Su Lin shaking hands. (Vietnamese official photo link)
Political scholar Wang Juntao in the US commented on X, “When Xi Jinping met Su Lin, Xinhua News Agency and CCTV reported it but did not release any photos. Vietnam released photos. Who can interpret the mystery behind why images of Xi Jinping were not released?”
As for now, the reason for the Chinese official media’s delay in releasing close-up photos or videos of Xi Jinping remains unknown. Discussions on social media regarding Xi Jinping’s health and the possibility of a stand-in continue unabated.