Dark clouds loom over Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. (Feng Li/Getty Images)
[People News] Following revelations from overseas social media that Xi Jinping had suffered another stroke and intended to "counterattack" to reclaim power, Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the Global Women's Summit at the National Conference Centre in Beijing on the morning of October 13 and delivered a speech. This seems to support the notion that "the stroke is just a legend".
However, upon comparing the CCTV reports of this summit with those of Xi's attendance at the opening ceremony of the China-Africa Discussion Forum Beijing Summit on September 5, 2024, the 10th Ministerial Meeting of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum on May 30, 2024, and the 3rd "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum on October 18, 2023, the author identified some anomalies that may shed light on certain issues.
The first anomaly is the significant reduction in the duration of reports concerning the summit and Xi.
The total duration of the report on the China-Africa Discussion Forum is nearly 19 minutes, with approximately 14 minutes dedicated to Xi's photos with leaders from multiple African countries, his appearance, his speech, and audience applause.
The report on the China-Arab Cooperation Forum Ministerial Meeting has a total duration of 8 minutes and 35 seconds, with nearly 7 minutes focused on Xi's photos with leaders, his appearance, his speech, audience applause, and his handshake with guests.
The report on the 3rd "Belt and Road" International Cooperation Summit Forum lasts 15 minutes and 41 seconds, with nearly 15 minutes covering Xi's photos with leaders, his appearance, his speech, audience applause, and his handshake with guests.
The report on the Women's Summit this time lasted only 7 minutes and 45 seconds, with approximately 5 minutes dedicated to footage of Xi Jinping shaking hands with dignitaries, taking photos, delivering a speech, and the audience applauding.
If Xi wanted to dominate the screen as he has in the past, he could have easily extended the report's duration to emphasise his status. However, CCTV not only refrained from doing so but also reduced the duration, thereby downplaying Xi's leadership role in the Women's Summit and his actions. What does this suggest?
The second anomaly is that the close-up shots of Xi in the CCTV report for this summit were limited to under 3 seconds, with some lasting only 2 seconds. As soon as the close-up time expired, the camera quickly shifted away, whereas in the previous three summits, Xi's close-up shots lasted 3, 4, 5, and even 6 seconds.
It is widely known that CCTV has strict regulations regarding the duration of shots for high-ranking Communist Party officials. The reduction in Xi's close-up shot duration raises questions about what this might indicate.
The third anomaly is that the CCTV report for this summit did not include footage of Xi entering the venue with guests, while the previous three summits featured shots of him entering with guests, waving, and receiving a warm welcome from attendees. What does this imply?
The fourth anomaly is that this summit included a long shot of Xi walking to the podium to speak, during which he appeared to wobble slightly. Why was there no close-up shot? In the previous three summits, there were no such shots, and the footage went directly to the speech. Although Xinhua News has a photo of Xi walking alongside the President of Iceland, this was not included in the CCTV news report.
Additionally, after Xi Jinping concluded his speech this time, there was no footage of him descending from the podium and returning to his seat. Instead, CCTV showed attendees applauding, with some clapping a few times before stopping. In contrast, during the previous three summits, there were shots of Xi shaking hands with guests after stepping down, where he appeared quite satisfied, like a star surrounded by admirers. CCTV aired footage of Xi shaking hands with guests before a group photo. What could be the reason for this?
The fifth anomaly is that on the 13th, aside from attending the summit, Xi did not meet with other political leaders, such as Iceland's President Guðni Th. Jóhannesson or Dominica's President, Roosevelt Skerrit. CCTV reported that Li Qiang met with Ghana's President John Mahama and Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena. During the 2024 China-Africa discussion forum, after delivering a speech, Xi also met with the UN Secretary-General and other dignitaries in attendance, indicating he still had considerable energy. Now, having only one event in a day, what does this signify?
These signs suggest that while it is uncertain whether Xi has suffered a stroke, it is evident that his health is not in good condition. CCTV's avoidance of certain footage may also be an attempt to conceal the true state of Xi's health. Moreover, Xi's reduced presence in news reports, which avoids emphasising his status, indirectly indicates that he remains at a disadvantage in the power struggle, and those in control do not wish to bolster Xi's position ahead of the Fourth Plenary Session.
(First published by People News) △
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