Xi Jinping Attends Central Asia Summit Amid Unprecedented "Eerie" Circumstances Suggesting Hidden Turmoil

Image: Screenshot from video showing red paint on the ground in place of a red carpet during Xi Jinping's visit to Russia.

[People News] On the same day as the 51st G7 Summit held in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping arrived in Astana, Kazakhstan aboard a special plane to attend the two-day Second China–Central Asia Summit. According to CCP state media, top officials including Cai Qi and Wang Yi accompanied Xi on the same flight. This has sparked curiosity among observers: Was the recent rumour that Xi had been placed under house arrest just disinformation? Does this mean Xi’s grip on power remains firm? Is he healthy enough to travel abroad normally?

Generally speaking, when a regime’s top leader dares to leave his seat of power, accompanied by core confidants on an international trip, it indicates he is confident in the stability of his rule and unafraid of being locked out upon return. Furthermore, Cai Qi—Politburo Standing Committee member and director of the CCP’s Central Office—was recently rumoured to have defected to the Party elders and anti-Xi faction, even turning against Xi himself. So why did he accompany Xi on this trip?

Upon examining state media reports, an unprecedented and bizarre phenomenon was observed: before 5:00 PM on the 16th, Xinhua News, People's Daily, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry websites all published brief announcements, reports, and detailed articles—but none included any photos or videos of Xi Jinping himself. Some articles were just a single line of text or a few hundred words, accompanied only by photos of the plane, welcoming crowds, or CCTV news anchors. Later, while state media claimed they had released high-resolution images, these only showed the Kazakh security motorcade, Xi’s official vehicle, and red carpets. The car appeared to be empty—no sign of Xi or even a visible driver.

At the time, many netizens and political observers raised questions: “Too strange,” “What’s going on?” Not until 6:22 PM did the reporter finally see a photo on Xinhua of Xi posing with Kazakh leaders. Yet strangely, there were still no typical images of him walking off the plane or greeting people after disembarking. The websites also provided no video or audio footage. Even more bizarrely, all images lacked captions and were posted in a tight vertical strip. This is unprecedented in diplomatic or state media coverage of any head-of-state visit, anywhere in the world, let alone in CCP history.

Independent commentator Chen Pokong offered several possible explanations: 1. Xi Jinping's appearance may have been too sickly for media exposure, prompting aides like Cai Qi or Wang Huning to demand state media delay image releases until AI software had edited or reconstructed the visuals. 2. A body double may have been sent in Xi’s place. To reduce exposure and avoid speaking, Xi’s “real body” could be hospitalised or under house arrest at Chunyi Zhai. 3. It may be that the anti-Xi faction or a re-empowered faction of Party elders prohibited Xi from drawing too much attention, yet allowed him to play this diplomatic role to maintain the appearance of stability, for the sake of regime continuity and elite privilege.

Professor Zhang Tianliang of Feitian University commented in his program that the key will be to observe Xi’s return to Beijing and the outcome of this year’s Beidaihe meeting. If, upon return, Xi is subtly derided as a dictator like Nicolae Ceaușescu of Romania, or if power is handed over to the elders in Beidaihe in August, then this overseas appearance might well be the final public role scripted for him by a newly reorganised CCP leadership.

Some analysts argue that even if Xi has lost power or been placed under house arrest, having him attend international summits isn’t surprising. The elders or anti-Xi faction may still need to use his image to maintain a false sense of unity and peace to prevent a sudden regime collapse. In other words, it’s all about preserving the regime and the Party. Moreover, Central Asia is a key strategic region for the CCP—a vital corridor in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) linking to Europe. It represents what the CCP touts as a major geopolitical success and a “community of shared destiny.” As PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated on June 16, Central Asia is both the birthplace of the BRI and a pilot region for its development. China has signed BRI cooperation documents with all five Central Asian countries. In 2024, China’s imports and exports with Central Asia reached a record-breaking 674.15 billion yuan. Another factor is the need to counter the ongoing G7 Summit in Canada. Even if Xi were bedridden, the CCP would have had to use him as a symbolic figurehead for appearances.

As for the Kazakh Air Force escorting Xi’s plane into the country’s airspace, or the welcoming ceremonies with the President and senior officials, youth flower presentations, and children's performances—these are all standard diplomatic procedures. Even if the CCP had informed the Kazakh president that a new leadership was now in control in Zhongnanhai or had sent a different top leader, Kazakhstan would have carried out these ceremonial protocols just the same. These high-level receptions weren’t really for Xi Jinping himself, but for the metaphorical “money bag” of Chinese RMB he represents.

(People News – First published)