On March 11, during the closing session of the National People’s Congress of the Chinese Communist Party, apart from the absence of Chairman Zhao Leji due to illness, Chinese leader Xi Jinping was also observed behaving unusually by foreign media. He was seen repeatedly rubbing his hands on his legs. Rumors about Xi’s various illnesses have circulated in recent years, and his pained expression at last year’s closing meeting of the People’s Congress was widely shared on the internet.
During the closing session on March 11, Li Hongzhong replaced Zhao Leji to preside over the closing ceremony of the National People’s Congress, and unexpectedly announced that Zhao Leji’s absence was due to a respiratory tract infection. As the Chinese Communist Party has always considered the health conditions of its leaders as confidential, this event quickly attracted international media attention.
Xi Jinping’s abnormal behavior also caught the attention of foreign media on that day. In a video captured by foreign media, Xi Jinping was seen suddenly pressing the voting button during the meeting, a gesture not replicated by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang seated next to him or other officials nearby. It is unknown if Xi Jinping was experiencing physical or mental abnormalities.
During the seventh vote at the closing session, where the resolution on the work report of the Supreme People’s Court of the Chinese Communist Party was being voted on, there were 31 votes against and 12 abstentions, making it the most opposed and abstained vote. In this process, Xi Jinping appeared serious, with his hands constantly rubbing on his legs, drawing attention to the two cups placed in front of him.
On overseas Chinese-language platforms, netizens commented on the two cups, suggesting, “The two cups are very conspicuous.” Some speculated, “One of the cups must be medicine, in case of any emergency, he can take it for relief.” Others questioned, “Is he ill? Parkinson’s?” and “Clearly, he’s impatient.”
Xi Jinping’s health has been a hot topic in the world today. His pained expression at the closing meeting of the National People’s Congress last year on March 11 had already circulated widely online. According to a report by the UK’s Daily Mail, Xi Jinping at that time lifted a teacup, took a sip, and suddenly showed an abnormal expression of pain, with his eyes tightly closed and his face wrinkled in discomfort.
At the time, a netizen claiming to be a “Chinese traditional medicine practitioner overseas” analyzed, attributing Xi’s discomfort to “liver damage from long-term alcohol consumption, recurrence of hemorrhoids; excessive stress, chronic lying, and anger leading to excessive stomach acid, imbalance in insulin and bile secretion, and decay of the pancreas and small intestine.”
There have been various rumors about Xi suffering from a major illness. Even before Xi Jinping took office at the 18th National Congress in 2012, there were reports that he underwent surgery for a liver tumor.
During the Third Plenary Session of the 7th Central Committee in July 2024, rumors spread about Xi Jinping collapsing from a stroke. Afterward, Xi disappeared for 21 days, sparking speculation. On the morning of August 19, Xi welcomed General Secretary of the Vietnamese Communist Party Su Lin in Beijing with military honors. However, the official Xinhua News Agency and CCTV did not release his close-up image until nearly 6:00 in the evening, causing discussion. In the footage, Xi Jinping appeared generally well, but with more white hair and slightly slower steps.
Netizens enlarged a photo released by the Vietnamese news agency and noticed a bald area on the lower right side of Xi Jinping’s head, suggesting recent brain surgery where hair had not fully regrown. There were speculations that the area of hair loss behind Xi Jinping’s ear might be a scar from surgery, possibly involving the trigeminal nerve.
The Central Health Commission is responsible for the medical care of senior officials of the Chinese Communist Party, with the Director concurrently held by Cai Qi, Xi Jinping’s trusted confidant. The only Deputy Director with a professional background, Zeng Yixin, is mainly serving Xi Jinping.
Zeng Yixin was once the Director of the Tumor Prevention and Control Center at Sun Yat-sen University, Director of the National Key Laboratory of Oncology at South China, and also the Vice Chairman of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association and Editor-in-Chief of the “Cancer” magazine. Xi Jinping’s chosen personal physician, Zeng Yixin, specializes in tumor-related diseases, sparking speculation since rumors of Xi having a “cerebral aneurysm” circulated online early on.
In recent years, Xi Jinping has shown several public signs of physical abnormalities, mainly having trouble with his legs and feet and appearing somewhat unsteady while walking. There were rumors that Xi Jinping suffers from gout due to his love for alcohol.