(Web Desk) - A photo of Chinese President grimacing while having a cup of tea is being falsely shared on social media as his 'suffering a stroke'.
Internet users are posting photos of Chinese President Xi Jinping grimacing, claiming they show the leader suffering a stroke during a recently concluded meeting of the Chinese Communist Party in July 2024.
The pictures are being shared across X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, with one X post amassing more than 2.4 million views and over 7,600 likes. This post is captioned, "unconfirmed - Xi jinping reportedly suffers stroke."
Social media in China is abuzz with news that President Xi suffered a stroke during a CCP meeting.
Upon some research, it is found that there are no credible reports confirming the rumors of the Chinese president suffering a stroke during the third plenary session.
Upon conducting a reverse image search, it is found that several news outlets had published similar images of Xi Jinping grimacing in March 2024.
These reports stated the photos were taken at the closing session of the National People's Congress held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 11, 2024.
One of the photos, depicting Jinping drinking from a white cup, was taken by a Reuters photojournalist, Tingshu Wang, at a similar meeting on March 11, 2024.
Hence, the viral images circulating on social media, purportedly depicting China's President Xi Jinping having a stroke, are misleading. The photographs were taken at the closing session of the National People's Congress held in Beijing, China, in March 2024.
Further, there are no official statements about Jinping having suffered a stroke recently.