Rumours about Chinese President Xi Jinping's health have resurfaced after footage emerged showing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi pausing his opening speech at the BRICS summit in New Delhi to check on his counterpart. Modi was seen turning towards Xi and asking a translator "is it okay?" after aides appeared to rush over and exchange words with the Chinese leader, who nodded before Modi resumed speaking. The moment has fuelled online speculation, as the health of Chinese leaders is traditionally treated as a closely guarded state secret and Beijing has made no comment on the incident.

The episode occurred during Xi's first visit to India in seven years, and he later skipped a gala dinner hosted by Modi for BRICS leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, with one source suggesting he was simply tired. Critics and activists, including lawyer Gordon G. Chang and Chinese dissident Xie Wanjun, seized on the footage and separate clips of Xi appearing to struggle while boarding his plane to claim he is unwell. The summit itself saw Modi call for "cooperation" among BRICS nations, which he said represent 50% of the world's population and 40% of global GDP, while Xi's trip also marked a tentative thaw in India-China relations following a deadly 2019 border clash.