Chinese President Target of Internet Gossip, Xi Disappearance Rumors Not New

Speculation of Chinese President Xi Jinping being placed under house arrest has taken over social media as India battles the Chinese on the country's northern borders. Jinping, who was recently in Samarkand for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO, meeting, allegedly lost his position as the leader of China's People's Liberation Army, or the PLA, in various online posts.

The Chinese Communist Party and the official media have not yet provided an official confirmation, though. On Twitter, other unconfirmed social media posts stated that there were no commercial flights flying over Beijing today. China analyst Aadil Brar claims that Xi Jinping's absence from the public eye may be be due to quarantine following his return from Uzbekistan, in accordance with the nation's general "Zero Covid Policy."

When Xi Jinping was the Vice President in 2012, there were rumours regarding his health. The rumours began to circulate after Xi skipped meetings with important visitors and dignitaries in September, including Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state at the time.

Chinese authorities failed to provide an explanation for Xi's disappearance after he had not been seen in public since September 1. Xi may have suffered a heart attack or stroke, or she may have been the victim of an assassination attempt, according to some beliefs.

Two weeks later, Xi made a comeback and took part in a Beijing event commemorating National Science Popularization Day.

“New rumour to be checked out: Is Xi jingping under house arrest in Beijing ? When Xi was in Samarkand recently, the leaders of the Chinese Communist Party were supposed to have removed Xi from the Party’s in-charge of Army. Then House arrest followed. So goes the rumour,” former Cabinet minister and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy said in a tweet.

In 2018, Xi was once more challenged by Li Keqiang, his deputy, during a period of declining Chinese economic growth, a lengthy trade conflict with the US, and other scandals.

For a while, pieces about Li Keqiang looked to have taken Xi's place on the People's Daily cover, which had previously featured his name.

After a young woman recorded herself throwing ink onto the Chinese president's visage, large portraits of the Chinese leader allegedly had to be taken down.