Mozambique President Departs as Xi Holds Welcome Ceremony

Image: During the March 2024 Two Sessions, Xi Jinping was photographed by foreign media in the Great Hall of the People with an expression of extreme pain while drinking tea. (Illustration by Qing Yu/People News)

[People News] According to reports from the CCP's official media, on the afternoon of April 21, CCP leader Xi Jinping met with Mozambique President Chapo at the Great Hall of the People. Prior to their meeting, a welcome ceremony was held for him in the North Hall. After the meeting, the two leaders witnessed the signing of over 20 cooperation agreements covering areas such as security, trade, and healthcare. Following this, Xi hosted a banquet, although no footage was made available. CCTV footage showed Xi walking slowly during the review, as he often does with a slight limp, while Chapo intentionally slowed his pace. Throughout the discussions, Xi appeared to be in noticeably poor spirits.

On the morning of the 21st, CCP Premier Li Qiang and National People's Congress Chairman Zhao Leji each met with Chapo.

Earlier, the CCP's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Chapo, visiting China for the first time as president, would be in the country from April 16 to 22. Public information indicates that Chapo visited Hunan from the 16th to the 19th, then travelled to Qinghai, arriving in Beijing on the evening of the 20th.

It remains unclear whether the order of Chapo's visit was proposed by him or arranged by the CCP. However, as the first president to visit China, his primary objective is to meet with the top three leaders of the CCP and sign a series of agreements. To show respect, it would be expected for him to first arrive in Beijing for a welcome ceremony hosted by Xi Jinping, before commencing his inspection tour in China. Nevertheless, such an itinerary must be approved by the visiting country, and if the order of the visit is adjusted for any reason, it is likely to reflect the CCP's intentions.

Additionally, as the president of a country, Chabo is expected to first meet Xi upon his arrival in Beijing, especially since there is a welcome ceremony involved, which is standard diplomatic protocol. A comparable instance is the order of meetings during the visit of Uruguayan President Olsi to China on February 3.

Olsi met with Xi on the morning of that day, and Xi held a welcome ceremony in the North Hall, at which time he was in significantly better health than he is currently. In the afternoon of the same day, Li Qiang and Zhao Leji met with Olsi, who adheres to the CCP's established protocols.

In contrast, for Chabo, the CCP not only made him wait outside for several days but also altered the order of meetings. This resulted in an unusual situation: the president, who was scheduled to depart the next day, only received the welcome ceremony treatment the afternoon before his departure. This is clearly a significant diplomatic faux pas, and the CCP, fully aware of this, must have included additional commitments in the signed agreements to ensure that Chabo did not take offence and left with a favourable impression.

The primary reason for this diplomatic breach is Xi's declining health. Just a few days earlier, a similar situation occurred during Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez's visit to China.

Sanchez's visit took place from April 11 to 15, and under normal circumstances, he should have met with Xi the day after his arrival. However, the meeting was postponed until the morning of the 14th, with Li Qiang meeting him in the afternoon and holding a welcome ceremony, which also occurred the day before Sanchez's departure. This delay was likely due to Xi's inability to meet on the 12th, which forced Li Qiang and Zhao Leji to adjust their meeting schedules, resulting in the welcome ceremony nearly resembling a farewell ceremony.

There have been two recent diplomatic blunders, both evidently linked to Xi Jinping's health issues. His health seems to be quite concerning, and while the senior leaders of the Communist Party of China are aware of this, they are intentionally keeping it under wraps to avoid potential social unrest if the public finds out. However, as these incidents continue to occur, it is only a matter of time before the truth comes to light.

(First published by People News) △