Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed to the invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a gala dinner of leaders within the BRICS summit, which took place 12–13 September in New Delhi, but did not take part in it. According to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, the Chinese leader withdrew at the last moment due to ill health.
Reports that Xi Jinping skipped the leaders’ dinner, which included the illegitimate Russian President Vladimir Putin, appeared in 14 September, Independent. China was represented at the event by Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The publication did not specify reasons for the Chinese head of state’s absence, but linked the fact to the contents of the summit’s final declaration, which did not mention Russia’s war against Ukraine.
WSJ writes that afterwards rumors about a serious illness and stupefaction of Xi Jinping appeared on social media, but India’s Ministry of External Affairs denied these messages as fake, and Press Trust of India reported, citing sources, that the Chinese leader returned to his hotel room to rest.
However, WSJ sources insist Xi Jinping was unwell that evening.
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This was the Chinese leader’s first visit to India in seven years, and it lasted about a day. This week his official visit to the United States is planned, the first in more than 10 years, the publication notes.
His absence would have shocked given the state of relations between the two countries. WSJ sources say the visit will take place.
The incident in India underscores one of the unchanging features of Chinese policy: the health of the most influential Chinese leader since Mao Zedong is a state secret guarded so closely that even a cancellation of a dinner can trigger panic among observers of the situation in China, the publication emphasized.
As an example, the media cites the situation with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa. He also skipped dinner due to health problems, but his office simply announced this, informing that doctors advised the president to rest and regain strength. And this did not become a sensation, as did the absence of Abu Dhabi’s crown prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohammed.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Сі Цзіньпін в останню хвилину відмовився від вечері з Путіним. Що сталося". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Gordon.