President Xi Jinping asks for a break during Trump meeting... Rekindle the health theory

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Seung-wook = The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 2nd (local time) that Chinese President Xi Jinping (73) requested unusual rest facilities during his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump last month, raising questions about whether his health is not what it used to be.

According to reports, China requested the United States to provide a private lounge for President Xi inside the West Wing of the White House.

Only President Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, was allowed to be present in this space. While President Xi was staying here, not only White House personnel but also the Chinese delegation, including President Xi's chief of staff, were not allowed to enter.

About a month before President Xi's visit to the United States, the Chinese preparatory team requested the White House to cancel a working lunch with President Trump scheduled for September 24.

Previously, when President Trump visited Beijing in May, the two leaders had a business lunch at Zhongnanhai, which is called the heart of China's power.

The WSJ reported that China conveyed its position to the United States that it wanted to secure as much rest time as possible for President Xi, which left a gap of about 5 hours in the short visit schedule.

The Chinese side also did not make any plans for the evening of President Xi's arrival, and when he visited the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration on September 25, the last day of the visit, President Xi reportedly stayed inside for only about 10 minutes, much shorter than originally planned by the U.S. side.

The media pointed out that President Xi's careful movements were noticeable in the released video.

When he got off the plane, he held on to Ms. Feng with one hand and rested on the railing with the other, and two days later, when he was climbing the stairs to the National Archives and Records Administration, he held Ms. Feng's hand the whole time and seemed to rely on her.

Chinese state media reportedly removed these scenes from prime time broadcasts.

Even before this summit, rumors of President Xi's health problems arose.

WSJ reported that President Xi did not attend the dinner attended by world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, due to poor health at the BRICS summit in India last month.

Dennis Wilder, former senior director for China at the National Security Council (NSC), who hosted three state visits during the George W. Bush administration, said that a foreign leader's request for a private lounge was unprecedented.

He said, “This has never happened even when I hosted visits by former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, former Australian Prime Minister John Howard, and President Xi’s predecessor, President Hu Jintao,” adding, “It is very unusual.”

Former Director Wilder pointed out that it was also noteworthy that the bilateral meeting between the two leaders began around noon on September 24 and ended in the early afternoon. “The time was too short for a meeting between the leaders of the world’s two largest economies.”

President Xi's health problems, combined with the issue of Chinese power succession, may raise serious concerns.

Experts point 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 may have a ripple effect on future political affairs.