Speculation about Xi Jinping's health is swirling following rumors that the Chinese president fell ill at a summit hosted by India. A U.S.-based activist and political exile from China alleged that Xi had a stroke during the event. Xi attended the latest annual BRICS summit in New Delhi over the weekend, joining officials from other nations in the alliance launched to increase political and economic cooperation between nations of the “Global South." Following the summit, which Russian President Vladimir Putin also attended, Wanjun Xie reposted on X what he described as “rumors” that Xi “fainted at the BRICS summit hosted by India,” ending his visit earlier than intended and returning to China “on a special plane.” This came after Cyril Ramaphosa's office said the South African president was suffering “ill health” after returning from the summit.
New Delhi has denied that any world leaders became sick during the conference. India's Ministry of External Affairs took to X to “caution against” the “malicious” claims that have taken off across social media. Newsweek reached out to China’s embassy in Washington, D.C., and Wanjun Xie via email for comment.
The 2026 summit marked the continued development of the BRICS alliance as it seeks to offer a geopolitical counterweight to Washington and the West’s global influence, amid tensions between the U.S. and its traditional economic allies. China typically plays a leading role at the summit and uses it to outline its broad vision for a global order outside of American control. According to Xie, chairman of the China Democratic Party, currently banned in the country, Xi suffered a “transient ischemic attack,” or “mini-stroke,” during the summit and was forced to depart early.
In a series of X posts, Xie said the Chinese president was receiving treatment in a locked-down section of Beijing’s 301 Hospital—the country's largest military medical center. There has been no official comment or confirmation of Xi’s condition from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). And Xi was filmed walking up the stairs into his plane before leaving India, though Xie said that the president “struggled to climb the steps.” Part of the discourse stemmed from a moment involving Xi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an opening roundtable at the summit.
This time, China could not hide his condition,” the American political analyst and China hawk Gordon Chang posted to X, alongside an edited image of Xi appearing unwell at the meeting. Xi arrived in India on Saturday and departed on Sunday, taking part in only one bilateral meeting with Modi during the summit. Xi was also absent from a gala dinner held on Saturday, based on footage from the event.
The Independent reports that China’s seat was represented by Foreign Minister Wang Yi, though Newsweek could not independently confirm this. The offices of the South African president, who interacted with Xi at the summit, later confirmed that Ramaphosa had fallen ill around the time of the summit. As of Thursday afternoon, there were nearly 200,000 X posts concerning “Rumors of BRICS Leaders' Illnesses Spread After New Delhi Summit.” However, no conclusive evidence has emerged that Xi is unwell or that he had a stroke during the summit.
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