Online rumours about Xi Jinping’s health intensified after footage appeared to show Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi checking on him during a BRICS summit. The speculation claimed Xi had fallen ill, been given first aid and flown back to China, but the exchange was reportedly caused by a faulty earpiece rather than a medical emergency. Xi’s absence from a later gala dinner nevertheless fuelled further commentary.

The latest claims were promoted by Wanjun Xie, an exiled opposition activist, and amplified by anti-China commentators, despite photographs showing Xi attending events and boarding his aircraft without assistance. Similar rumours have previously alleged that Xi suffered a heart attack, cancer or a stroke, including a 2024 image later shown to have been misinterpreted and taken months earlier. Speculation also surrounded his two-week disappearance in 2012, when he was still vice-president.