President Xi Jinping resurfaced after rumors speculated against him
President Xi Jinping resurfaced after not being seen in public since his first overseas trip in more than two years earlier this month. Xi, who wore a mask, visited an exhibition in Beijing on Tuesday about China’s achievements over the past decade, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
Xi’s public appearance comes after his return to Beijing at midnight on September 16 from a summit in Uzbekistan. Prior to that trip, the Chinese leader last went overseas in January 2020, when he visited Myanmar just days before closing the central city of Wuhan and entering a long period of Covid isolation. His recent absence was in line with China’s strict Covid protocols, which require all international arrivals to undergo seven days of hotel quarantine, followed by three days of home isolation.
It was the second time that Xi has at least given the impression of adhering to the Covid Zero rules of his country. In July, the Chinese leader was not seen in public for nearly two weeks after a two-day trip to Hong Kong to celebrate 25 years of Chinese rule in the city. That was his first time out of mainland China in more than two years, even though he didn’t stay overnight in the financial center.
President Xi Jinping resurfaced after rumors speculated against him
While the rest of the world has come to live with the virus, China has stuck to a Covid Zero policy aimed at eradicating infections. That strategy weighed on growth forecasts and sparked internal criticism, most recently after a transfer bus crashed into a quarantine center, killing around two dozen people. While Xi’s recent flight across Central Asia marked his return to the world stage, the Chinese leader has shown a more cautious approach to the virus than his peers. Xi was wearing a face cover when he met several colleagues and skipped an unmasked dinner at the Uzbekistan Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.
