A post carrying a photo showing Chinese President Xi Jinping with his eyes closed and grimacing is being circulated across X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook (FB), claiming he suffered a stroke last week. This is misleading.
The photo is old and does not show Xi having a stroke. There are also no credible sources of information saying that the Chinese leader is in a grave condition.
The misleading photo was uploaded on July 18, the last day of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) 20th Central Committee meeting. The posts bore a caption that read:
“Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly suffered a stroke during a CCP Central Committee meeting. The government has not commented, but social media claims he collapsed in pain and was taken out by medical staff.”
The photo of Xi supposedly showing him wincing in pain was not taken during the CCP’s July 15-18 meeting, but last March 11 during a session of China’s National People’s Congress.
The photo was originally uploaded by the Associated Press, which described Xi’s reaction “after drinking from a cup at the closing session of the National People’s Congress.”
Meanwhile, the photo of the supposed medical staff who attended to Xi was also taken out of context. Captured that same day by Agence France-Presse, it actually shows two women staff members of Congress checking Xi’s desk.
There are also no official reports from the Chinese government or reputable news sources that the three-termer president had suffered a stroke.
Photos released by the Chinese People’s Consultative Conference on July 19 show Xi in good condition during the four-day party meeting.
The claim began circulating after Chinese human rights activist Jennifer Zheng alleged on her X account that Xi had a stroke during the CCP’s meeting. Zheng has since clarified that rumors of Xi being rushed to the hospital are probably not true.
Uploaded by X user @CheekyLady1027, the post received 731,900 views, 5,100 likes, 1,200 reposts and 437 replies. Multiple accounts on FB and Threads also posted the claim, garnering hundreds of interactions.
