Unconfirmed rumors of military coup in China spread on Twitter, #ChinaCoup trending: Where is Xi Jinping? – The world

Newsweek reports that Xi and the phrase ChinaCoup became popular on social media after tens of thousands of users spread unconfirmed rumors that the president had been captured and ousted by China’s People’s Liberation Army.

The internet is abuzz with reports that “something is happening” in China, with people’s speculations ranging from a political or military coup against President Xi Jinping to potential military activity in western China, outlookindia.com reports.

Evidence cited for such speculation includes reports of canceled passenger flights in parts of China as well as footage of what are believed to be military vehicles heading towards the capital, Beijing. Si, as noted, has not been seen in public for some time.

However, there is no official comment on these speculations, nor a confirmed report of the army’s movement towards the capital.

Rumors were fueled by Indian politician Subramanian Swamy, who has 10 million followers on Twitter, who tweeted today: “New rumors to check: Is Xi Jinping under house arrest in Beijing? When Xi was in Samarkand recently, Chinese Communist Party leaders were to remove Xi from the party’s charge of the military. Then came house arrest. That’s how the rumors go.”

In a series of tweets, Drew Thompson, a former official with the Ministry of Defense of China, Taiwan and Mongolia, described the rumors as “a complete lie.”

“Open discussion of opposition to Xi makes rumors credible.” Despite the lack of evidence that Xi faces domestic opposition, speculation persists. This adds credibility to the rumours, or hope for some, that Xi will be arrested.”

Frida Ghitis, a columnist and former CNN correspondent, also dismissed the rumors coming from China.

“The social media are buzzing that there has been a coup d’état in China, that Xi Jinping is under house arrest. But there is no evidence that this is true.

President Xi recently attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Leaders’ Summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where he spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Most Chinese experts pointed out that there were no signs of a coup apart from comments on social media, especially in Indian circles.

China expert Aadil Brar noted that Xi was likely in quarantine after returning from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit, which would explain his absence from the public eye.

Brar also shared flight data showing no flight disruptions. He went on to share visuals of public briefings by senior Chinese officials, suggesting the government was operating as normal.