Xi Jinping Appears in Heavy Makeup, Unwittingly Reveals Top-Secret Health Crisis?

At the airport welcoming ceremony, Russia greeted Xi Jinping with a wide strip of red paint brushed onto the concrete. (Video screenshot)

— People's Report Exclusive

[People News] Although the health status of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders is classified as a top state secret, rumours of Xi Jinping's health crisis have persisted. Recently, Russian intelligence disclosed that Xi suffered three heart attacks between late May and early June. Doctors warned that continuing to work could have dire consequences. Nevertheless, on June 16, Xi made a high-profile visit to Kazakhstan. Initially, no photos or videos were released by Chinese state media. Later, official photos showed Xi with unnaturally fair skin and red lips, leading online commentators to joke that his makeup was done by a mortician. Analysts believe Xi intended to mask signs of illness, but the excessive effort ended up revealing the seriousness of his health problems.

When Xi first arrived in Kazakhstan on June 16, he was conspicuously absent from the photos and videos released by the CCP media.

Reporters from People News noted that by 5 p.m. on June 16, major Chinese state-run outlets such as Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, and the Foreign Ministry's website had only released brief text bulletins, some just a single sentence or a few hundred words. They included images of the plane, welcoming crowds, and CCTV news anchors—but none of Xi himself. Later, when state media claimed to release "high-definition images," they only showed the Kazakh motorcade, Xi’s car, and the red carpet. His car appeared empty—no trace of him or even a driver.

It wasn’t until the evening that Chinese media began releasing images and videos of Xi. Independent political commentator Chen Pokong analysed on his channel that the footage had clearly been heavily edited, cut, and stitched together, with Xi wearing conspicuous makeup.

In the photos, Xi—who is normally tanned and wrinkled—appeared pale, with pinkish skin and notably red lips, as if wearing elaborate makeup.

One netizen joked, “Old Xi's makeup was done by a funeral home stylist.”

Another quipped, “Final Farewell: Going Out in Style.”

Others asked, “That doesn’t really look like Xi Jinping—is it a body double?”

Kazakh President Tokayev, who appeared in photos with Xi, was also heavily retouched, prompting laughter: “Haha, Tokayev looks like a woman now!”

Some netizens speculated that a beauty filter had been applied. The real question is: Why use a beauty filter? CCTV is known for using high-definition, unfiltered footage. If a body double was used, applying a beauty filter would make it impossible to distinguish the real from the fake. Add in AI-generated footage—no matter how advanced, there are always flaws. But with beauty filters layered on, the deception becomes much harder to detect.

Furthermore, in CCTV’s video coverage, when Xi stepped out of the plane and prepared to descend the airstairs, the camera abruptly cut to Tokayev. Normally, Xi’s descent from the aircraft is a signature shot always featured in Chinese state broadcasts. The sudden omission raised eyebrows. Whether Xi can walk steadily down a staircase is a key indicator of his physical health.

Observers believe that Xi’s Kazakhstan visit—and the photoshopped images and cut footage—were part of a deliberate effort to conceal his health problems. But in trying to create the illusion of full health, the CCP may have accidentally exposed one of its highest-level secrets: Xi’s illness.

Rumours about Xi’s health have circulated for years. Since 2019, there have been numerous reports of medical issues, including claims that Xi suffered from pancreatic cancer, a brain aneurysm, and strokes, though none have been confirmed by the regime.

In 2024, during a visit to France, Xi’s gait appeared unstable. During a trilateral meeting, unlike others who had clear water glasses, Xi used an opaque black cup, and a wheelchair was reportedly kept nearby for emergencies.

On May 7, during a visit to Russia, Xi’s on-camera behaviour again seemed abnormal, fueling renewed speculation about his health.

On June 5, Taiwanese physician Tsai Yi-cheng posted on Facebook, urging people to closely monitor Xi’s health and the CCP’s internal power dynamics.

Taiwanese scholar Tsai Wen-hsuan’s research found that since 2017, CCTV has frequently cut scenes of Xi walking. After 2019, Xi began walking with short, shuffling steps—his left leg could bear weight, but his right leg struggled. His condition appears to be progressively worsening and possibly irreversible.

According to a classified internal briefing submitted to the Kremlin by Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) on June 9, Xi suffered a heart attack overnight between May 25 and 26, and then two more attacks in the first week of June. Doctors reportedly warned that attending further meetings could be life-threatening. The report also claimed that some high-ranking CCP officials have reached a consensus to remove Xi, though his loyal inner circle is pushing back strongly.

In August last year, Xi, after a long absence, met with Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Yet CCTV’s footage initially did not show Xi at all. His image only appeared two hours later. This delay led netizens to speculate that a body double was used or that the footage was technically manipulated.

(First published by People News)