Xi Jinping’s Eerie Appearance: CCP Poised to Semi-Officially Announce End of Xi Era

Dark clouds hang over Tiananmen Square in Beijing. (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

[People News] Xi Jinping, who had been missing from the public eye for half a month, finally reappeared. However, the state media’s reports were unusually bizarre and suspicious, almost resembling a semi-official announcement that Xi has lost his authority as party leader.

Xi Jinping’s Awkward Meeting with Belarusian President Downgraded

On June 4th, a politically sensitive date in China, state media such as Xinhua, People’s Daily, and CCTV reported that Xi Jinping met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who was visiting China. However, the reports were low-profile, and the diplomatic protocol seemed informal.

Xinhua reported, “On the morning of June 4th, President Xi Jinping met with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko at Zhongnanhai.” The entire report was under 400 words and included only a single photo of Xi and Lukashenko shaking hands. Xi appeared haggard and weak, his lips tightly shut, burdened with worry. His forced smile looked like someone who had taken the wrong medicine—awkward and strained.

The report did not specify the exact location within Zhongnanhai. It only mentioned that Wang Yi accompanied Xi, with no sign of Central Office Director Cai Qi or Vice Premier He Lifeng. CCTV footage showed the meeting took place in a simple reception room, with three aides seated on each side, including Wang Yi. There were no national flags, no flowers, no formal meeting table, and no official sequence—completely out of step with typical diplomatic decorum.

Even more unusually, the party media kept a low profile. The June 4th edition of People’s Daily did not mention Xi’s meeting with Lukashenko at all. The front page featured Premier Li Qiang meeting with Yohei Kono’s Japanese trade delegation and Ding Xuexiang’s collective meeting with foreign participants in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) finance summit. On page three, it mentioned Wang Yi meeting the new U.S. Ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, and Shen Yueyue attending a China-Ukraine regional cooperation forum. The omission of Xi from the People’s Daily seems like a deliberate snub—what signal is being sent?

By comparison, on March 1, 2023, Lukashenko paid a state visit to China, and Xi received him with full honours at the Great Hall of the People. Around 20 people participated in the talks, and the hall was adorned with national flags and flowers. A full welcome ceremony was held, including a 21-gun salute, a review of the honor guard, and a state banquet in the golden hall. Wang Yi and He Lifeng attended. Again in December 2023, Xi met Lukashenko at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse, with a similarly grand setting, and Cai Qi and Wang Yi attended.

On July 4, 2024, during the SCO Summit in Astana, Xi met Lukashenko again. At that time, Belarus officially joined the SCO. Xi was beaming and proud, even airlifting the Chinese honor guard to Belarus to make a show of strength. Cai Qi and Wang Yi accompanied him, and the meeting led to joint military exercises between the two countries.

Now, this most recent meeting was significantly downgraded, raising questions. There’s more: Lukashenko’s visit from June 2–4 came without prior announcement from China’s Foreign Ministry. When Lukashenko landed on June 2, there was no report on who welcomed him. This suggests diplomatic incoherence or perhaps Beijing is undergoing some internal turmoil that cannot be openly discussed.

Lukashenko Wasn’t Really Visiting—He Came to Listen at the Bedside

On June 3rd, Belarusian news agency BelTA quoted First Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Snopkov in Beijing, who told reporters that Lukashenko and Xi would have a “friendly family meeting.” Snopkov emphasised the nature of the visit: “Negotiations are optional. The visit itself is important. No other world leader would conduct a visit this way. This is a friendly family dinner. That is the core of the visit.”

This statement is revealing—does it suggest that Lukashenko was not visiting in the traditional sense, but rather sent to “sound things out”? The rumors of Xi losing power are no longer just online gossip—they have reached the White House. On Fox News, Gordon Chang said, “President Trump is worried something is happening inside China.” Chang speculated that Xi may have lost the authority to engage with the U.S. on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.

More likely than Lukashenko, it’s Putin who wants to eavesdrop on the inner workings of Zhongnanhai. Lukashenko could be acting as Putin’s proxy, scouting whether China’s power structure has shifted and who will inherit the reins. Putin has recently suffered a major blow from Zelensky’s drone tactics, and if Xi also falls, that would be a direct betrayal of Putin.

On June 4th, BelTA reported that Xi had invited Lukashenko to attend the SCO Summit and a military parade in Beijing later this year. Russia’s Sputnik News quoted Xi saying, “At the end of August, we will hold the SCO Summit in Tianjin, followed by a grand military parade on September 3rd to commemorate the victory over fascism. I sincerely invite you and look forward to seeing you there.”

This raises further questions. Is Putin now directing media narratives out of desperation? The CCP media has not confirmed this supposed invitation—there is not even a punctuation mark acknowledging it. Is Xi still deluding himself as the supreme leader, speaking dreamily to Lukashenko while ignoring the reality around him?

Following in Hua Guofeng’s Footsteps? The Xi Era May Be Ending

Independent commentator "Xiaoshuojia" recently revealed that Wang Yang is set to become the next Chairman of the Central Military Commission and will preside over the September 3rd parade as the new top military leader—Xi may not be involved at all. There are also reports that three senior CCP elders have traveled to Anhui to persuade Wang Yang to take the role. Another rumour suggests that different party factions recently met with Xi in Luoyang to negotiate the terms of a power transition. Xi reportedly proposed Wang Yang as his successor in exchange for a peaceful and safe retirement. To preserve party unity, all sides have supposedly agreed to a non-confrontational transition, indicating that Zhongnanhai is undergoing a massive, hidden power reconfiguration.

Regardless of which version is true, all signs point to a well-known secret: Xi Jinping has lost his grip on power. Before Hua Guofeng stepped down, the CCP held one expanded Politburo meeting and nine regular Politburo meetings to discuss the transfer of power. On December 5, 1980, the Politburo approved Hua’s resignation from the Military Commission and leadership duties, though he kept the Party Chairman title until the Sixth Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee. On February 4, 1981, Vietnamese leader Hoang Van Hoan visited China, and Hua initially refused to attend the reception, only relenting after being persuaded by Deng Yingchao.

Now Lukashenko’s visit on June 2 appears to have prompted a similarly reluctant response from Xi, who waited until June 4 to host a low-key “family meeting.” The CCP’s state media reported the event with unusual restraint. Is Xi walking the same path as Hua Guofeng?

(People News Original)