NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — Unverified claims about Chinese President Xi Jinping’s health circulated online this week after a brief exchange with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the BRICS summit and Xi’s absence from a leaders’ dinner.
Video from the Sept. 12 summit showed Modi pause during his opening remarks, turn toward Xi’s delegation and ask, “Is it okay?” Xi appeared to respond before Modi continued. The footage does not show what prompted the exchange or establish that Xi experienced a medical problem.
Xi later skipped a gala dinner hosted by Modi at Bharat Mandapam. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended in his place. Chinese and Indian officials did not publicly attribute Xi’s absence to a health issue.
The incidents prompted social media speculation, including claims by Chinese dissident Wanjun Xie that Xi fainted during the summit and later suffered a stroke. No credible evidence supports those claims, and neither Beijing nor New Delhi has reported that Xi suffered a medical emergency.
Chinese state media reported that Xi returned to Beijing on Sept. 13 after completing the BRICS summit. Officials including Cai Qi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi returned on the same flight, contradicting claims that Xi left India separately for emergency treatment.
During the summit, Xi met Modi for bilateral talks on Sept. 12. The two leaders discussed border issues, trade, supply chains and broader India-China relations, according to the Indian Prime Minister’s Office.
The visit marked Xi’s first trip to India in seven years. He also addressed the BRICS summit and announced that China will chair the group and host its next summit in 2027.
