Officials called it the 'hold room', a private space in the West Wing of the White House set aside for Xi Jinping to take lengthy rest breaks between meetings during last month's summit with Donald Trump.
asserted
Jinping → call → Trump
The demand for the room was highly unusual, according to US officials, and may hold the secret of a gathering mystery – that of the true state of the Chinese leader's health.
uncertain
demand → accord → health
Trump claimed 73–year–old Xi looked 'strong, vibrant and fit', but – privately – officials were struck by his physical weakness.
asserted
officials → claim → weakness
China demanded a substantial amount of downtime be built into the schedule and were concerned about how long Xi would be required to stand and walk, according to The Wall Street Journal.
uncertain
Xi → demand → Journal
One of the main demands was the 'hold room', where only Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, was allowed to join him.
asserted
wife → allow → him
Not even his powerful chief of staff, Cai Qi, was granted entry.
asserted
chief → grant → entry
China reportedly turned down an offer of a working lunch with Trump on the only full day of the summit, according to officials involved in planning.
uncertain
China → turn → planning
Stairs seemed a particular challenge for Xi.
asserted
Stairs → seem → Xi
Slowly and cautiously descending from his plane on arrival in Washington – and later climbing the steps of the National Archives – he appeared to be gripping tightly to his wife's hand in a manner that suggested support rather than affection.
uncertain
that → descend → affection
Peng, a glamorous singer who gained fame as a soprano for the People's Liberation Army, was more famous than her husband when he first became leader.
asserted
he → gain → husband
She has had a much higher profile than the spouses of earlier leaders.
asserted
She → have → leaders
Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly appeared physically weak during his recent summit with Donald Trump in Washington
Xi’s reported need for rest, previous unexplained absences from public view and withdrawal from a diplomatic dinner have prompted rumours that he may be seriously ill
uncertain
he → appear → rumours
But all the same, the scene in Washington was unusual, since wives have traditionally played a more decorative or ceremonial role – if they had a role at all – in recent Chinese diplomacy.
asserted
they → play → diplomacy
Perhaps he had jet lag.
asserted
he → have → lag
But Chinese media were taking no chances, editing out any images that might suggest frailty.
uncertain
that → take → frailty
State television reports skipped the aircraft steps and instead showed carefully edited video of Xi waving at the cabin door before cutting to the formalities on the tarmac below.
Unsubstantiated rumours about Xi's health were spreading even before the Trump meeting.
asserted
rumours → skip → meeting
At a summit of emerging nations held in New Delhi earlier in September he withdrew at the last minute from a gala dinner hosted by Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister.
asserted
he → emerge → Modi
He reportedly felt unwell, prompting lurid reports spread by overseas exiles that he had fallen seriously ill and been rushed home.
uncertain
he → feel → exiles
The claim was pushed by Xie Wanjun, one of the dissident founders of the outlawed China Democratic Party, who is now based in the US.
uncertain
who → push → US
Quoting 'witnesses', he claimed that on arrival back in Beijing, Xi was carried off his plane and rushed to hospital by helicopter for emergency treatment.
asserted
Xi → quote → treatment
A series of unexplained absences have also fuelled speculation.
asserted
series → fuel → speculation
In May last year he disappeared from public view for two weeks and analysts noted a marked reduction in the usual prolific references in state media to 'Xi Jinping Thought'.
uncertain
analysts → disappear → Thought
He vanished again at the end of May this year, for ten days this time, and a monthly Politburo meeting appeared to have been scrapped – which is highly unusual.
uncertain
which → vanish → days
Xi has become China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, abolished presidential term limits and avoided naming an obvious successor
Caution is required, since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is an opaque and paranoid organisation. During my time in Beijing, a diplomat advised me: 'Anybody who claims to understand the party is misinformed.'
uncertain
who → become → party
It is a system where rumours take on a life of their own and official denials are widely regarded as confirmations of truth.
The CCP even banned all mention of Winnie–the–Pooh from social media after Chinese internet users deployed the rotund bear to mock Xi's physique.
asserted
users → take → physique
Xi is a lifelong smoker, overweight, unfit and fond of drink, according to Dennis Wilder, a former senior China analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency who is now a scholar at Georgetown University.
uncertain
who → accord → University
He told The Wall Street Journal about a conversation with Qin Gang, China's former foreign minister, during which Qin said that Xi 'loved to drink'.
asserted
Xi → tell → which
'They would drink themselves silly,' according to Wilder.
uncertain
They → drink → Wilder
Desmond Shum, an exiled but still well–connected Chinese businessman, who had close ties to the family of former Chinese premier Wen Jiabao, says China's leaders go to extraordinary lengths to hide any ill health while travelling internationally.
asserted
leaders → connect → health
'We were told they travelled with their own toilets and that even their s**t was packed up and taken away, lest their DNA or clues about their health would be leaked,' he wrote on X.
Similar reports have emerged about Xi's fellow dictator and 'good friend' Vladimir Putin.
asserted
reports → tell → dictator
Officials travelling with the Russian president on international visits reportedly collect his excrement in special bags, which are kept in a dedicated briefcase.
uncertain
which → travel → briefcase
The Xi rumours matter because he has turned himself into China's most powerful leader since Mao Zedong, ruthlessly removing opponents and abolishing time limits on his rule – effectively making himself leader for life.
asserted
himself → matter → life
A purge at the top of the military has removed 36 generals and lieutenants (with another 65 missing or potentially purged) since 2022, according to an analysis by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
uncertain
65 → remove → Studies
They included earlier this summer Zhang Youxia, who was second in command of the military under Xi, and who was accused of disloyalty, corruption and other serious disciplinary breaches.
asserted
who → include → disloyalty
There is no obvious successor to Xi and he has avoided anointing one, fearing that person might become a threat.
uncertain
person → be → one
It is fair to assume that he has made a lot of enemies, which increases the likelihood of a possibly violent power struggle to take over from him.
uncertain
which → assume → him
This is precisely what Deng Xiaoping sought to avoid.
asserted
Xiaoping → seek → what
It was Deng – who led China after a power struggle following the death of Mao – who introduced
a ten–year time–limit on leaders' tenure in office and a more collective form of leadership to ensure a smoother transition between premiers, safeguards now swept away by Xi.
asserted
who → lead → Xi
For all his country's modernity – not least its cutting–edge technology and economic achievements – Xi has taken its politics back to the days of dynastic China.
asserted
Xi → take → China
He has surrounded himself with sycophants, and loyalty to Xi is now the single most important requirement of those in positions of power.
asserted
loyalty → surround → power
…and 35 more, not listed.
The Aporia
