What happened
The Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has denied rumors that Chinese President Xi Jinping fell ill during the BRICS summit in New Delhi. The rumors emerged after Xi unexpectedly skipped a gala dinner and returned to his hotel room to rest. The Chinese delegation attributed the incident to a technological malfunction with Xi's real-time translation earpiece.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa's office announced that he would be temporarily stepping back from public engagements due to ill health after returning from the summit. The nature and cause of Ramaphosa's illness were not specified.
Despite the denials, speculation about Xi's health continues to circulate online, with some commentators pushing wild speculation that he suffered a medical complication during the trip. Chinese political dissident Wanjun Xie claimed without evidence that Xi suffered a sudden stroke and is receiving emergency treatment in Beijing.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has cautioned against believing malicious posts on social media platforms, and China has not commented on the rumors. Xi is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump next week for a US-China summit.
