Opinion | An 'itinerary adjustment' just won't cut it for Xi's no-shows

"Nothing is trivial when foreign affairs are concerned." That has been the long-standing motto of officials involved in China's foreign relations.

That may help explain why the officials have had a hard time batting down speculation about why Vice-President Xi Jinping made last-minute cancellations of meetings with two important overseas visitors last week.

They said the cancellation was a "normal itinerary adjustment" and urged outsiders not to make "unnecessary speculation".

Nonetheless, speculation has been intense since Xi pulled out of the meetings with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

The weak explanation of an "itinerary adjustment" is unlikely to cut it, not only because mainland officials take diplomatic protocols very seriously, but also because the details of itineraries involving meetings with the visiting high-ranking officials were probably thrashed out months ago.

This has given rise to several alternative explanations for the cancellations. One suggested Xi may have hurt his back playing soccer or while swimming, and that he needed to rest.

Another said the cancelled meeting with Clinton was a subtle gesture of Beijing's unhappiness with Washington's recent actions, including its comments in regard to a regional dispute over rights to the Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea. This, however, sounds less plausible. Sino-US ties are of utmost importance to Beijing and there is no reason for Xi not to meet Clinton.