"Xi's Aging More Severe Than in General Population," Taiwanese Scholar Finds in Video Analysis

Analysis of Footage Released During September Visit to India
"Gait Less Stable Than Three Years Ago"

With Chinese President Xi Jinping widely expected to secure a fourth consecutive term next year, a Taiwanese scholar has said that signs of aging in Xi are more severe than in the general population. The scholar said Xi appears to have less stable gait and reduced leg muscle mass.

According to Taiwan's United Daily News and other media outlets on Nov. 3, Tsai Wen-hsuan, a researcher at the Institute of Political Science at Academia Sinica, a think tank under the Taiwanese Presidential Office, said an analysis of publicly available footage showed that signs of aging in Xi were more severe than in the general population. Tsai made the remarks the previous day at a forum hosted by the Asia Political Economy and Peace Exchange Association, titled "China's Direction and Domestic Political Changes, Cross-Strait Relations and the International Situation After the Fifth Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China."

Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a speech at a reception marking the 77th anniversary of National Day at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the afternoon of Sept. 30. Yonhap News agency.

Tsai said the health and aging of Xi, who is 73 this year, require long-term observation. He described footage of Xi arriving in India on Sept. 12, 2026, and stepping off a plane as highly valuable for research. The footage clearly shows his body movements, including those of his ankles, and the way he descends the stairs is a direct indicator for assessing the degree of aging.

He said the knees and ankles have to bear more weight when descending stairs, adding that the research team closely examined Xi's ankle movements and changes in his gait as he stepped off the plane.

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a flower-laying ceremony for Martyrs' Day in front of the Monument to the People's Heroes at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on the morning of September 30. Yonhap News

Tsai said the previous footage in which Xi's ankle movements could be clearly seen was filmed during his visit to Vietnam in December 2023. At the time, his wife, Peng Liyuan, was supporting him, but the research team said it accounted for the effect of that support in its analysis through computer video simulations.

The analysis found that Xi's gait was less stable when he stepped off a plane this year than it had been three years earlier, Tsai said. The researcher also concluded that signs of aging in Xi were more severe than in the general population when the relevant gait data were compared with those of people in the same age group.

He also said Xi showed a "circumduction gait" when descending stairs, a movement in which the feet turn outward to support the body's weight.

Tsai said footage of Xi boarding a plane could be used to assess his cardiopulmonary function. Being able to keep walking without stopping could be a sign that the function is relatively good, he explained. Citing footage of Xi boarding a plane in September 2026, Tsai said Xi appeared to have no major problems with his cardiopulmonary function.

He also said footage released during Xi's visit to the United States in late September 2026 had relatively limited research value because it did not fully capture his ankles. However, the research team observed in some footage of Xi boarding a plane that his calf muscles may have decreased in size. It also said that his body leaned to one side more noticeably than before when he climbed stairs.

Meanwhile, Xi also faced speculation about his health after reports emerged that he had unusually requested the use of a private lounge during his visit to the United States. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported last month that Xi had asked for a private lounge to be set up inside the White House's West Wing during his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. Only his wife, Peng Liyuan, was reportedly allowed to accompany him in the room, and access by White House officials and the Chinese delegation was also restricted while Xi was there.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.