Chinese People Notice Chinese President Xi Jinping Disappears After 2019 Coronavirus Spreads
Chinese President Xi Jinping hasn’t been seen in public and missed his regular appearances after the 2019 novel coronavirus rapidly spreads.
In China, there are circulating rumors whereabouts of President Xi Jinping amid the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak. The Chinese leader has already missed his regularly scheduled media appearances.
Chinese netizens find it strange for the president to disappear amidst a public health crisis. According to some reports, Xi has been personally instructing China’s response to the deadly virus.
Xi Jinping usually appears on CCTV’s main news program and also every day on the front page of the ‘People’s Daily’. The page usually shows the photos of the national leader meeting dignitaries and performing normal business.
The President has been already absent from Chinese media for several days now prompting the media to scrutinize his consecutive absence during a public health crisis. One speculation claims that Xi retreated to allegedly reduce his involvement with the virus outbreak.
“Xi is the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao Zedong, but he’s also uniquely vulnerable due to the way he has centralized control,” CNN speculates.
The 66-year-old politician’s absence during the previous days means that lower-ranking officials of Wuhan would take the blame for the devastation caused by the health crisis. Another speculation claims that Xi allegedly quarantined himself in fear of catching the virus.
“While you would think the ‘people’s leader’ would want to be seen close to the people, perhaps, in this case, the risk of him catching the virus may be too high,” China analyst Bill Bishop said.
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