Five major anomalies in CCTV's coverage of the Women's Summit; Xi Jinping in poor health

Translation : Gan Yung Chyan, KUCINTA SETIA

CCTV can't cover it up! Xi's appearance at the summit is full of anomalies

— Five major anomalies in official media coverage of the Women's Summit; Xi Jinping in poor health.

Reporter : Mei Lingshuang / Editor : Fang Xun / Source: People's Daily / https://www.aboluowang.com/2025/1014/2290761.html

After overseas media outlets broke reports that Xi Jinping had suffered another stroke and intended to "fight back" to regain power, on the morning of 13 October 2025, Xi Jinping attended the opening ceremony of the Global Women's Summit at the Beijing National Convention Center and delivered a speech, seemingly confirming the myth that the stroke was just a rumour.

However, when I compared CCTV's coverage of this summit with Xi's attendance at the opening ceremony of the China-Africa Forum Beijing Summit on 5 September 2024, the opening ceremony of the 10th Ministerial Conference of the China-Arab Cooperation Forum on 30 May 2024, and the opening ceremony of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation on 18 October 2023, I still found anomalies, which may explain something.

The first anomaly is the significant reduction in the length of coverage related to the summit and Xi. The total length of the China-Africa Forum coverage was nearly 19 minutes, of which nearly 14 minutes were devoted to Xi's photo ops with African dignitaries, his appearance, his speech, and the audience's applause. The total length of coverage of the China-Arab Cooperation Ministerial Meeting was 8 minutes and 35 seconds, of which nearly 7 minutes were devoted to Xi's photos with dignitaries, Xi's appearance and speech, audience applause, and Xi's handshakes with guests. The total length of coverage of the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation was 15 minutes and 41 seconds, of which nearly 15 minutes were devoted to Xi's photos with dignitaries, Xi's appearance and speech, audience applause, and Xi's handshakes with guests.

The total length of coverage of the Women's Summit was only 7 minutes and 45 seconds, of which only about 5 minutes were devoted to Xi and Peng's handshakes with dignitaries, photos, Xi's speech, and audience applause. If Xi wanted to dominate the screen as he did in the past, he could have extended the coverage to highlight his status. However, CCTV not only did not do so, but actually cut the coverage, downplaying the Women's Summit led by Xi and his actions. What does this indicate?

The second anomaly is that CCTV's coverage of Xi Jinping's close-ups during this summit was largely limited to under three seconds, with some even lasting only two seconds. The camera then cut away as soon as the close-up was over, compared to three, four, five, and six seconds for the previous three summits. As we all know, CCTV has strict guidelines for the length of shots of senior CCP officials. What does the shortened close-ups of Xi Jinping indicate?

The third anomaly is that CCTV's coverage of this summit did not include footage of Xi and the guests entering the venue, while the previous three summits included footage of Xi entering with the guests, waving, and being warmly welcomed by the attendees. What does this indicate?

The fourth anomaly is that this summit included a long shot of Xi ascending the podium to deliver his speech, seemingly wobbling a bit. Why no close-up? None of the previous three summits included such footage, instead jumping directly to the speech. Xinhua News Agency included a photo of Xi walking side by side with the Icelandic president, but this was not included in the CCTV news report. Furthermore, after Xi's speech, there were no shots of him stepping down from the podium and returning to his seat. CCTV instead showed attendees applauding, some of whom stopped clapping after a few beats. At the three previous summits, Xi had been shown shaking hands with the guests one by one after leaving the stage, appearing quite pleased with himself as the center of attention. CCTV, however, only showed Xi shaking hands with the guests before a group photo. Why is this?

A fifth anomaly is that on 13 October 2025, apart from attending the summit, Xi did not meet with any other dignitaries, such as Icelandic President Thomasdottir and Dominican President Burton. CCTV instead reported that Li Qiang met with Ghanaian President Mahama and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Amarasuriya. At the 2024 China-Africa Forum, Xi met with the UN Secretary-General and other dignitaries after his speech, appearing energetic. Now, he only has one event in a single day. What does this indicate?

These signs indicate that, regardless of whether Xi has suffered a stroke, his poor health is undeniable. CCTV's avoidance of certain footage may also be an attempt to conceal the true state of Xi's health. The downplaying of Xi in news reports, which avoids highlighting his status, indirectly indicates that he remains at a disadvantage in the power struggle, and those in control do not want to strengthen his position before the Fourth Plenary Session.