Xi reappeares on state TV after coup rumours

Xi, who doubles as general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, was seen visiting an exhibition titled “Forging Ahead in the New Era” at the Beijing Exhibition Hall to showcase achievements of the party and the country over the past decade.

He was accompanied by Premier Li Keqiang and other high ranking CPC executives.

Xi’s public reappearance on Tuesday is the first time since he returned from the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, last weekend.

Under Chinese pandemic regulations, he would need to stay in quarantine for a week after returning.

His absence from public view gave rise to rumours of political infighting and an attempted coup. Some have said he was detained at his residence just ahead of the CPC National Congress scheduled for October 16, while others speculated he would be nominated CPC general secretary and country president for a third term, or another five years.

On Sunday, Assoc Prof Dr Aksornsri Phanishsarn, a Thammasat University lecturer on China’s economy and strategies, said reports of Xi’s arrest had no basis in fact.

“It’s fake news,” Aksornsri said, adding that he had cross-checked with “his contacts” in China, who confirmed that the reports, which first emerged out of India, were patently false.