Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States lasted less than 48 hours. Frequent “flash mobs” occurred during his overseas trips this year, attracting attention

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in the United States for a state visit. U.S. President Trump personally picked him up and held a welcome ceremony.

Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Washington on the 23rd Eastern Time. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the state visit will be from September 23 to 25. This is also Xi Jinping’s fourth overseas trip this year. Taking stock of this year's trips, except for the five-day trip to Kyrgyzstan and Egypt from the end of August to the beginning of September, the other three trips are quite compact. The trip to India lasted less than 24 hours, and this visit to the United States is expected to take less than 48 hours. Frequent "flash mobs" have attracted attention from the outside world.

Xi Jinping’s first overseas trip this year did not take place until June. He went to North Korea for a state visit on June 8. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on the afternoon of the 9th that Xi Jinping had concluded his visit and returned to Beijing. The entire official trip lasted only two days.

The second trip was significantly longer. Xi Jinping went to Kyrgyzstan to attend the 2026 Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit from August 30 to September 3, and paid state visits to Kyrgyzstan and Egypt. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said after the trip that this trip to Central Asia and the Middle East lasted five days and four nights. Xi Jinping attended more than 20 events intensively, making it the longest overseas trip so far this year.

Xi Jinping went to India to attend the BRICS Summit in mid-September and met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In September, the “flash mob” appeared again. Xi Jinping went to New Delhi, India, to attend the BRICS Summit from September 12 to 13, and was also absent from the dinner, causing speculation. Wang Yi later publicly stated that Xi Jinping attended nearly 10 events intensively in New Delhi "in less than 24 hours" and held talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Many days later, Xi Jinping started his visit to the United States and arrived in Washington on the afternoon of the 23rd Eastern Time. The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) described the trip as a "whirlwind stay" and pointed out that Xi Jinping will return to China less than 48 hours after his arrival.

Why is the overseas itinerary so tight? William Alan Reinsch, a senior consultant at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a US think tank, estimated that Xi Jinping actually stayed in Washington for about 36 hours. He pointed out that US President Trump's visit to Beijing in May also lasted roughly the same time, so there may be an element of diplomatic reciprocity in this short visit.

Another observation points to long-term changes in China’s diplomatic model. The South China Morning Post analyzed data on Xi Jinping's overseas visits in May this year and found that the frequency of overseas travel by Chinese leaders after the epidemic was significantly lower than before the epidemic, but the number of foreign leaders traveling to Beijing to meet with Xi Jinping has rebounded strongly. Analysts interviewed believe that Beijing is gradually forming a more normalized "home diplomacy" model.

Wang Dan, a Chinese pro-democracy activist, put forward different speculations. Regarding Xi Jinping's visit to the United States less than 48 hours ago, he questioned whether Xi Jinping was unwilling to leave Beijing for too long because he was worried about China's internal situation. He also mentioned health factors.

Judging from this year's itinerary, among Xi Jinping's four overseas visits, the trip to North Korea lasted only two days, the trip to India lasted less than 48 hours, the trip to the United States lasted less than 48 hours, and only the trip to Kyrgyzstan and Egypt lasted five days and four nights. The frequent occurrence of flash mobs has become a new focus for outsiders to observe Xi Jinping's overseas visits.

Xi Jinping traveled to Kyrgyzstan this year. Recently, a video was circulated on the Internet. The content showed that Xi Jinping was suspected of being "supported" by his wife Peng Liyuan when he was about to walk down the stairs from a special plane, which attracted attention.

It is worth noting that the Wall Street Journal also recently reported that during Xi Jinping’s visit to India in September, he had originally accepted an invitation from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the BRICS Summit Leaders’ Dinner, but was absent at the last minute and was attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The report quoted people familiar with the matter as saying that Xi Jinping was feeling unwell at the time and returned to the hotel to rest.

This absence has also drawn renewed attention to Xi Jinping's physical condition in several public events in recent years. The Wall Street Journal mentioned that when Xi Jinping visited Kyrgyzstan in August this year, he was photographed walking slowly and clutching his wife Peng Liyuan's hand when getting off the stairs of the plane. China CCTV broadcast Xi Jinping waving at the door of the plane and walking on the red carpet, but did not broadcast the process of walking down the stairs. Relevant images have once again triggered discussions about his health. However, the report emphasized that there is currently no evidence that Xi Jinping suffered from a serious illness, had a stroke, or had fainted.

Overview of Xi Jinping’s trip this year: North Korea (June 8-9, spanning 2 days); Kyrgyzstan and Egypt (August 30-September 3, 5 days and 4 nights); India (September 12-13, less than 24 hours); the United States (September 23-25, expected to be less than 48 hours).