Rumors of “house arrest” are dispelled as President Xi Jinping attends an exhibition in Beijing ahead of the ruling Communist Party summit.
Chinese President Xi Jinping visited an exhibition in Beijing in his first public appearance since returning to China from an official trip to Central Asia in mid-September, according to state television on Tuesday – dispelling unconfirmed rumors that he was under house arrest.
Xi has disappeared from public view since returning to China from a summit in Uzbekistan and fueling baseless speculation about military coups in Beijing.
Despite an ailing economy, the COVID-19 pandemic and rare public protests, as well as rising friction with the West and tensions over Taiwan, Xi is poised to secure a third term in power to further his grand vision of “Chinese rejuvenation.” “Nation to Pursue” for years to come.
Xi has steadily consolidated power and eliminated space for dissent and opposition since he became the party’s general secretary a decade ago. China has also become far more assertive on the global stage as an alternative leader to the US-led post-war order.
The 69-year-old leader’s likely rise to a third term of five years and possibly more was spelled out in 2018, when he lifted the two-term limit on the presidency.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TVRTplayZ0
Xi’s decades-long reign in power has prompted crackdowns on corruption within the party — although observers said they were used to bring down political rivals, a raft of measures to crush a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong and strict COVID lockdowns from cities to curb spread.
Xi also faced harsh human rights criticism from the international community over repressive policies in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where an estimated one million Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities have been arrested in a sweeping crackdown on alleged “terrorism.”
A purge of senior officials took place ahead of the Oct. 16 five-year Chinese Communist Party (CCP) meeting, where Xi is widely expected to secure his third term as head of state. Former Vice Minister of Public Security Sun Lijun, former Justice Minister Fu Zhenghua and former police chiefs of Shanghai, Chongqing and Shanxi were arrested on corruption charges.
The arrests amounted to China’s largest political purge in years.
On Sunday, state media announced a list of the 2,300 delegates of the CPC Central Committee. Xi’s name on the list also debunked social media rumors of a military coup in Beijing, fueled by unsourced videos of military vehicles and flight cancellations.