Xi Jinping Cautiously Disembarks in Russia; CCTV Shows Few Close-Up Shots

Xi Jinping appeared to walk with difficulty during his visit to France. (Video screenshot)

[People News] On the evening of May 7, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow for a three-day state visit to Russia. Since reports surfaced at the July 2023 Third Plenum suggesting Xi may have suffered a stroke, his health has remained a subject of public concern.

In December last year, during a trip to Macau for a celebration, Xi was seen being firmly supported by his wife, Peng Liyuan, as he exited the plane, with Peng cautioning him to “slow down.” That footage was later deleted. In April of this year, during Xi’s visit to Vietnam, CCTV showed him exiting the plane and waving to awaiting Vietnamese officials and crowds. The next shot then immediately cuts to the Vietnamese welcoming party. By the time the camera returned, Xi was already walking down the stairs to greet Liang Qiang. It was clearly an attempt to avoid showing Xi descending the stairs.

Back in 2023, when Xi and Peng held hands descending the plane during a Vietnam visit, CCTV used a wide shot. Though distant, it still captured them walking down the stairs, which took about 3 to 4 seconds. This year, however, CCTV omitted that entirely. In fact, Xi’s descent reportedly took at least 10 seconds, likely while gripping the handrail. Vietnamese media footage also showed Xi walking with some unsteadiness after emerging from the aircraft.

Similarly, in CCTV’s coverage of Xi's arrival in Moscow, only a brief shot of him waving from the aircraft door was shown, followed immediately by a scene of him shaking hands with the Russian Deputy Prime Minister at the bottom of the stairs—again skipping the descent.

Interestingly, Russia’s news agency appeared to satisfy outside curiosity by releasing an unedited short video of Xi exiting the aircraft, descending the stairs, and shaking hands with greeters. Xi took 18 seconds to walk down the stairs in a cautious manner, constantly looking at his feet. This degree of caution seems telling—it suggests that rumours about Xi’s health issues may not be unfounded.

In addition to these details, how does CCTV’s current coverage compare to Xi’s 2023 state visit to Russia?

Firstly, the most noticeable difference is the drastic reduction in close-up, solo shots of Xi.

In 2023, besides close-ups as Xi exited the aircraft, CCTV showed a 3-second close-up of him listening to the national anthem alongside the Russian Deputy PM at the 1:29 mark, and another 3 seconds during his review of the Russian honour guard. There were also shots that zoomed in to emphasise Xi when he appeared in the same frame as the Russian official.

But in this year’s footage, the only solo close-up was when he exited the plane. All other scenes showed him alongside Russian officials in shared frames. During the national anthem and honour guard review, no solo shots were shown, and the camera angles were plain and unremarkable—no dramatic zooms or focus shifts.

This same reporting style was already apparent during Xi’s April visit to Vietnam, where Vietnamese leaders were more prominently featured and solo shots of Xi waving were fewer.

Secondly, when Xi bid farewell to the Russian Deputy PM, he spoke briefly—just four seconds—and appeared disinterested. In contrast, during the 2023 visit, Xi seemed animated on camera, speaking at length, around six to seven seconds.

Thirdly, this year’s CCTV coverage omitted the usual footage of Xi’s motorcade departing under tight Chinese security—a shot included in 2023 when Xi’s authority was at its peak, meant to underscore his power.

Given that everything on CCP state media must "follow political rules" and "serve political needs," these unusual omissions and changes in reporting are certainly no small matter. They likely reflect shifts in power within the CCP’s internal dynamics. If Xi still held uncontested power, and if Cai Qi still controlled the propaganda apparatus, these changes would not be happening. Instead, the altered footage, along with recent signs, such as the arrest of many of Xi’s military loyalists and the replacement of the Minister of the Organisation Department, suggest that Xi himself and his faction may no longer be truly in control of Zhongnanhai. 

(First published by People News)