[iNews24, Reporter Shin Soo-jung] Chinese authorities face trouble as the internet buzzes with rumors of Xi Jinping suffering from pancreatic cancer.
According to a report by the Japanese business magazine Gendai Business on the 7th (local time), a rumor that 180+20 (Xi Jinping) may have pancreatic cancer, with his noticeable weight loss, is rapidly spreading on Chinese social media.
‘180+20’ is sarcasm used to mock President Xi, alluding to his past statement that he carried 200 geun (approximately 440 pounds) of barley when he was young.
Xi Jinping’s sudden weight loss has sparked speculation about his health, with rumors of pancreatic cancer circulating from the middle of last month. On the 17th of last month, when the remains of Zhang Kehui, a former vice chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), was cremated in Beijing, President Xi visited the Revolutionary Cemetery on Babaoshan to bid him farewell.
President Xi expressed his condolences to Zhang Kehui’s bereaved family, but he looked different from usual. Not only did he look pale, but his previously protruding belly had slimmed down, and his face looked gaunt.
Rumors and photos began circulating online locally that President Xi had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and had lost a significant amount of weight. One netizen, who introduced themselves as a ‘Beijing nurse’, posted on SNS that “180+20 has drastically lost weight, and a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan revealed a shadow on the pancreas.”
The media reported, “While the rumors circulating on the local internet are likely untrue, there is a possibility that the Chinese people are ‘secretly rejoicing’ over these rumors.”
It also said, “The Chinese Communist Party is afraid that if rumors of President Xi’s illness spread, the people will applaud.”
Furthermore, “The Communist Party is currently very fearful of social unrest, conducting education on ’10 things officials should not do’ to avoid confrontation between officials and the people,” and “Xi Jinping has created a society that monitors each other, and this has become a double-edged sword, with officials also fearing the public’s scrutiny,” it pointed out.
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