Vice-President Xi Jinping fails to meet Danish prime minister; rumours fly
Fuelling the rumour mill, Xi Jinping fails to turn up for a meeting with the Danish prime minister and has not been seen in public for 10 days
The mainland rumour mill went into overdrive when Vice-President Xi Jinping, whose last public appearance was 10 days ago, was a no-show at a previously announced meeting with the Danish prime minister yesterday afternoon.
The Danish leader, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, was instead received by Vice-Premier Wang Qishan .
Xi has not been seen in public since September 1. Officials have been reluctant to discuss his health status, disclose his whereabouts or explain the reasons behind the cancellation of a string of meetings with foreign leaders in the past week.
In what appeared to be an attempt to dispel rumours about the man tipped to become China's next top leader, the Communist Party's Study Times newspaper published a speech delivered by Xi at the Central Party School on September 1 on its front page yesterday. He called on cadres to think critically about major national issues.
There was no other mention of Xi in the mainland media and searches for the term "back injury" - an ailment that Xi is reportedly suffering from - remained banned on microblogs.
A host of rumours swirled around, ranging from Xi being seriously ill to his being injured in a car crash amid a power struggle ahead of a key party congress.