Zeenews Bureau
Beijing: Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who had not been in sight for two weeks, finally appeared in public on Saturday, reports said.
Jinping, the heir apparent to the country`s leadership, who had not been seen in public since Sep 1, attended an event on Saturday to mark national science day, Xinhua news agency reported.
Mr Xi`s visited to the China Agricultural University in Beijing on the occasion of national science day, China`s official news agency reported with a photograph showing the vice-president smiling and walking with other officials, BBC reported.
Earlier On Thursday, the 59-year-old vice president`s name appeared on a message of condolence following the Sep 6 death of a former official in Guangxi province.
The leader-in-waiting – Xi’s absence from the public domain fuelled lot of speculation about his health and power struggle within the Chinese Communist Party.
The rumours over Xi hyped so much so that China blocked Mr Xi`s name on China`s Twitter-like weibo micro-blogging sites.
Speculation about his health gained ground after he failed to keep up with the scheduled meetings with visiting dignitaries like US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt among others.
While officials informally said he suffered a back injury while swimming, foreign media reports speculated that he suffered a hearth attack or cancer to liver.
One report even said he sustained multiple injuries in a car accident along with another CPC leader.
Xi has become the most important figure in Chinese politics in recent months as he is set to succeed Hu both as President and General Secretary of the Party at the 18th Party Congress set to take place in the next few weeks.
He is set to take over power from Hu early next year. His prolonged absence has created speculation that elaborate succession plan worked out by the party has gone haywire.
With PTI Inputs
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.