Where Is Chinese President Xi? (Update)

World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping before a meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on January 28, 2020. Photo by Naohiko Hatta/AFP

CNN: China says Xi Jinping is directing its Wuhan coronavirus response, but he's nowhere to be seen

Since he first intervened in the Wuhan coronavirus crisis in late January, ordering "all-out efforts" to contain its spread, Chinese President Xi Jinping has been personally directing the country's response.

At least, that's what state media has been repeatedly emphasizing -- Xi himself has not been seen for several days, missing from his usual place of prominence on the front page of the state-owned People's Daily newspaper and in the nightly newscast on state broadcaster CCTV.

This is weird, not only because a country's leader is normally front and center during a crisis, but because Xi typically dominates media coverage at the best of times, regardless of how seemingly routine his activities are. Since he came to power in 2012, the People's Daily especially has become known for running multiple headlines about Xi and plastering not only the front page but several after it with nearly identical pictures of him shaking hands with various officials.

Xi's vanishing act has not gone unnoticed in China, where many are asking questions on social media -- most of which are swiftly deleted by censors. Outside of the country, particularly among dissident communities, rampant speculation is growing, as those desperate to see the back of Xi spread wild, wholly unfounded claims.

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WNU Editor: He did show up at this event today .... Chinese President Xi Jinping ‘confident’ coronavirus outbreak can be contained (SCMP). The priority for him and his government was made very clear this week. The stability of the state is paramount .... China's Social Stability Is Under Threat: Xi (Bloomberg). He may not be in the public eye right now, but this crisis is consuming him and the Chinese government right now.