Xi Jinping Missing From Public View as Key Party Meeting Report Is Omitted

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has not appeared in public since May 25, while state media have also failed to publish the customary announcement of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP's) monthly Politburo meeting, prompting renewed speculation about developments behind the scenes in Beijing.

As at June 4, Xi had been absent from public view for 10 days, an unusual gap for China's top leader during a period that has also seen a series of high-level personnel changes across provincial and central regime positions.

The absence has drawn attention because it coincides with another break from established political routines: The CCP’s state news agency Xinhua has not reported a May meeting of the CCP's Politburo, despite such meetings typically being held at the end of each month and publicly announced afterward.

Xi usually chairs Politburo meetings and often focuses on economic policy, Party governance, or major policy documents. While personnel decisions and other sensitive topics are generally not disclosed, official summaries typically conclude with the phrase that the meeting also "considered other matters."

Earlier that day, Xi held talks with Vucic during the Serbian leader's state visit to China and also met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, later hosted a banquet for the Serbian delegation.

Since then, state-owned media Xinhua has carried only routine reports involving congratulatory messages, letters, and references to Xi's previous speeches.

Xinhua reported on May 28 that Xi exchanged congratulatory messages with Surinamese President Jennifer Geerlings-Simons and Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on the anniversaries of diplomatic relations between their countries and China. On May 30, Xinhua reported a similar exchange with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. On May 31, Xi was reported to have sent a letter to Chinese schoolchildren ahead of International Children's Day.

Xi's disappearance from public view has also coincided with speculation in South Korean media that he would travel to North Korea in late May or early June, which proved unfulfilled.

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported on May 21 that an anonymous South Korean government official said intelligence suggested Xi was likely to visit North Korea later in May or early June. The official cited Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's recent visit to Pyongyang and reported visits by Chinese security and protocol officials to the North Korean capital.

No official trip has taken place.

On May 30, Natural Resources Minister Guan Zhi'ou was appointed CCP secretary of Hubei Province, replacing Wang Zhonglin.

Other personnel moves announced between May 27 and May 29 involved senior officials in financial regulation, provincial governments, and academic institutions.

From May 21 to June 3, 2025, Xi was also absent from public view for nearly two weeks before reappearing in Beijing to meet Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on June 4, 2025.

That period likewise coincided with a cluster of provincial and ministerial personnel changes. State media also did not publish the customary announcement of a May Politburo meeting.

The pattern was not entirely unprecedented. Following the CCP's 20th National Congress, state media also failed to report a May Politburo meeting in 2023, although Xi continued to make public appearances throughout that period, including meetings with visiting foreign leaders and an inspection trip to a school in Beijing.

Whether this year's developments reflect scheduling decisions, internal political deliberations, or other factors remains unclear. The CCP has offered no public explanation for either Xi's absence or the missing announcement of a May Politburo meeting.