Xi Jinping’s Strange 2026 Schedule Raises New Questions

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Xi Jinping’s 2026 schedule is getting harder to explain. Jordan’s King Abdullah II spent days in China and reached Beijing before Xi finally welcomed him at the end of his visit. And he’s not the only foreign leader to experience an unusually late Xi meeting this year.
At the same time, Xi is traveling far less inside China, his inspection trips have become dramatically shorter, and rumors about his health and succession are spreading.
In this program, I connect the Jordan visit, Xi’s shrinking travel schedule, the alleged Hospital 301 medical leak, and the growing questions ahead of the Fifth Plenum and the 21st Party Congress.
None of these clues alone proves a health or power crisis. But together, they raise a much bigger question: What changed with Xi Jinping in 2026?

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