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Rumors in China: Did he have a stroke or didn’t he? Only Xi Jinping’s doctors know for sure
American Thinker ^ | 10/11/2025 | Andrea Widburg

Posted on 10/11/2025 6:13:39 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

The rumors started swirling on Thursday: Xi Jinping, China’s dictator, had a stroke. They’re still rumors at this point, but they got a boost on Friday when President Trump stated that “very strange things are happening in China”—a statement that coincided with his threat to impose a 100% tariff on China because of China’s sudden aggression regarding essential rare earth minerals. All of this comes amid speculation about Xi’s potential overthrow. I have no answers, but I’ll give you the information I have.

Beginning in mid-August, reports from China suggested that, after 13 years in power, Xi’s control was beginning to slip. While China looks—and is—immensely powerful, it has deep systemic problems, everything from a rapidly shrinking population and too many surplus men thanks to the infamous “one child” policy to the real estate implosion to the decay of shoddily-built Belt and Road projects across the world to unemployment to serious problems with military corruption. In a dictatorship, while you get the glory when things go well, it’s also all on you when they go badly.

On Wednesday, just as Trump and Xi were preparing for a face-to-face meeting, China flexed its muscles over its control of rare-earth minerals. These minerals are absolutely essential for modern technology:

China has tightened export controls on rare earths and related technologies while barring its citizens from participating in unauthorized mining overseas, adding fresh strains to a sector central to its geopolitical leverage.

Foreign entities must now obtain a license from Beijing to export any products containing over 0.1% of domestically-sourced rare earths, or manufactured using China’s extraction, refining, magnet-making or recycling technology, the Ministry of Commerce said Thursday.


(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: China; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: ccp; china; stroke; xi

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In a dictatorship, there’s always the risk that, when you show up at one of these party meetings, you will suddenly find yourself facing a coup. Keep that in mind as you contemplate the rumors about Xi’s health. This is the best summary I’ve seen about the stories that began to circulate on Thursday about Xi’s alleged stroke:

What’s Being Claimed: An anonymous "CCP insider" (via exiled former official Du Wen) alleges Xi suffered a sudden, severe stroke in Beijing on October 9, described as "extremely critical" with ongoing emergency treatment at a secure facility (possibly Peking Union Medical College Hospital). Some posts escalate it to a "third" stroke, referencing unproven prior incidents (e.g., a rumored aneurysm in 2022 and a "collapse" at the 2024 plenum). Premier Li Qiang, mid-visit to North Korea, was supposedly ordered back urgently, signaling a leadership crisis just 11 days before the expected 4th Plenum (late October).

Timing and Context: Rumors broke around 7 PM Beijing time (morning US time) on October 9, amplified amid escalating US-China trade tensions (e.g., Trump's tariff threats and China's rare earth export curbs). Speculation ties it to internal CCP power struggles, with figures like Gen. Zhang Youxia allegedly positioning for influence

Capping off the news about China, on Friday morning (that is, yesterday), Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that “very strange things” are happening in China. His long post explains how bizarre China’s new rare earth policy is, the strange timing of its announcement, and his determination to cancel his upcoming meeting with Xi:

1 posted on 10/11/2025 6:13:39 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

100% tariffs will do that.


2 posted on 10/11/2025 6:15:09 PM PDT by bleach (Donaldus Magnus 2024-2028 A.D.)
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To: bleach

The rumors of the stroke were present before the announcement of 100% tariffs.


3 posted on 10/11/2025 6:17:56 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

He’s been rumored to be under house arrest for months now. Only showing his face to give the appearance of stability. Shame as he was the absolute worst leader China has had in 30 years. Thank God he was there destroying China while Biden was destroying us.


4 posted on 10/11/2025 6:18:20 PM PDT by HYPOCRACY (Wake up, smell the cat food in your bank account. )
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To: SeekAndFind

Devil is restructuring his dwindling power base in the Dragon kingdom.


5 posted on 10/11/2025 6:22:33 PM PDT by Secret Agent Man (Gone Galt; not averse to Going Bronson.)
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To: HYPOCRACY

Their one child policy didn’t help. The problem is we have the same thing here with fewer children-only it’s voluntary. 2 kids are the limit and the numbers go down when you figure in the childless cat ladies.


6 posted on 10/11/2025 6:25:10 PM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: SeekAndFind

If he’s dead they should strap Xi into a car and ride him around to pretend he’s still alive like Jack Warden in Used Cars (1981).


7 posted on 10/11/2025 6:26:12 PM PDT by frank ballenger (There's a battle outside and it's raging. It'll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls. )
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To: frank ballenger

Or Biden.


8 posted on 10/11/2025 6:27:41 PM PDT by HYPOCRACY (Wake up, smell the cat food in your bank account. )
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To: ransomnote

P


9 posted on 10/11/2025 6:31:42 PM PDT by bitt (<IMG SRC=' 'WIDTH=500>)
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To: SeekAndFind

Yeah, and remember the Western MSM said Putin had terminal cancer.


10 posted on 10/11/2025 6:33:04 PM PDT by delta7
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To: HYPOCRACY

The overseas chinese media is where all the rumors inside china hit the sounding board. it makes for very entertaining story telling. and once you get used the wierdness of the way stories float—it all sounds true.


11 posted on 10/11/2025 6:40:41 PM PDT by ckilmer
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To: DIRTYSECRET
FWIW, saw this the other day:


12 posted on 10/11/2025 6:54:10 PM PDT by quantim (Victory is not relative, it is absolute.)
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To: SeekAndFind

If Xi goes down who will be next at bat?


13 posted on 10/11/2025 6:54:56 PM PDT by fella ("As it was before Noah so shall it be again," )
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To: All

Suppose this article is entirely worthless and there has been no stroke.

There is one item of value in the text — China has control of Rare Earth Elements and it would take the US 10 yrs to undo that — and they are vital for modern society.

So, why should China be generous with them, rather than cut the deepest and most intense of demands for them? Would not you? The US supplying soybeans to China was to be the counter leverage, and Brazil has erased that.

Bearing in mind the US can create money via QE, China should be demanding non monetary prices for its monopoly. Like disarmament. That is extreme, of course, perhaps something lesser, like reducing US oil consumption and shipping about 10 million bpd to China at a price of $5/barrel.

They have the monopoly. Their demands SHOULD be extreme.


14 posted on 10/11/2025 7:01:12 PM PDT by Owen
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To: SeekAndFind

Xi is too healthy to have had a stroke. Why did we ever let China dominate the rare earth market? Why are 90% of our antibiotics made in China?


15 posted on 10/11/2025 7:01:19 PM PDT by rexthecat
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To: SeekAndFind

It was odd for China to pull the trigger on their ‘rare earth elements’ threat waaaay too early. Very amateurish... let’s hope Xi is ok and back in charge soon.


16 posted on 10/11/2025 7:11:20 PM PDT by GOPJ (NO 'prizes' from Pulitzer, Nobel or Antifa - reject the filth. <P><I><B><big><center></B>)
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To: SeekAndFind

Warmed over Putin health rumors with the name changed.


17 posted on 10/11/2025 7:16:28 PM PDT by Nextrush (FREEDOM IS EVERYBODY'S BUSINESS, REMEMBER REV; NIEMOLLER)
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To: SeekAndFind

Bkmk


18 posted on 10/11/2025 7:39:20 PM PDT by sauropod
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To: SeekAndFind

52nd state?


19 posted on 10/11/2025 8:25:49 PM PDT by bigbob (We are all Charlie Kirk now)
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To: Owen

“There is one item of value in the text — China has control of Rare Earth Elements and it would take the US 10 yrs to undo that — and they are vital for modern society.

So, why should China be generous with them, rather than cut the deepest and most intense of demands for them? Would not you?”

It’s worse than that.
I have no idea why Trump would go around the world talking about the need to arm up for war with China and then expect them to sell the US the critical materials it has but the US doesn’t, but that the US needs to make these weapons they intend to use against China once the military is built back up.
From what I’ve read the Trump admin has been running around to various countries asking what position they would take in a war with China.
Apparently Trump believe the people in China are dumb enough to sell the US the rope they intend to hang China with.


20 posted on 10/11/2025 8:59:34 PM PDT by rottweiller_inc (Lupus urbem intravit. Fulminis ictu vultures super turrem exanimat.)
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