Taiwanese scholar: "Xi Jinping's aging is worse than that of the general public... Walking stability is poor."

A Taiwanese scholar claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping (73), who is expected to run for a fourth consecutive term next year, is aging more seriously than the general public.

According to Taiwanese media such as the Yonhap News Agency on the 3rd, Chai Wen-xuan, a researcher at the Political Science Research Institute of the Central Research Institute, a think tank directly under the Presidential Office (equivalent to the Blue House) of Taiwan, said this at a roundtable discussion on 'China's direction and changes in internal affairs, cross-Strait (China-Taiwan) relations, and international situation' after the 5th Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (5th Plenary Session of the 20th CPC) hosted by the Asian Political Economy Peace Exchange Association the previous day.

Researcher Tsai said that the scene of President Xi descending from a private plane during his visit to India in September is of great research value, and that walking stability this year was worse than in 2023.

It was also claimed that he showed a phantom gait, walking abnormally in a semicircle outward when going down stairs.

He also said that he observed a possible decrease in President Xi's calf muscles in the video of him boarding the private plane. However, he said that it was found that there were no major problems with his cardiopulmonary function.

This is not the first time that rumors about President Xi's health have been raised.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the Chinese side requested an unusual break during the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Xi last September, raising questions about whether his health is not what it used to be.

During his visit to Kyrgyzstan last August, a video of President Xi slowly descending the plane stairs while holding his wife Peng Liyuan's hand went viral online.

When attending the 25th anniversary event of Macau's return in December 2024, he was seen holding Ms. Feng's hand on the stairs of an airplane, leading to various interpretations, including in overseas media.

Experts pointed out that although President Xi does not show signs of cognitive abnormalities such as decreased brain function, in a situation where a successor has not been appointed, power is too concentrated in one person, and his health variables could have a ripple effect on future political affairs.