Xi quoted by official Chinese media late Wednesday
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The failure of Chinese Vice-President Xi Jinping to appear at a number of functions in recent days and canceled meetings with foreign leaders including US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton continues to feed rumours around the world.
Xi is slated to take on the Chinese leadership, possibly as early as next month, but the government has downplayed his absence, stating only that he strained his back recently while swimming.
He was last seen in public 1 September but China’s Internet chat rooms have been rife with speculation. Late Wednesday 12 September the state media quoted him as offering condolences on the death of a Communist official, reducing somewhat the speculation over his health and role in the Party.
Links to other sites: AFP, Deutsche Welle, Financial Times, Guardian, Xinhua on 25 August speech by Xi.
