Xi Kinping Absent
By Libby Ryan
Xi Jinping, vice president of China and the expected successor to current President Hu Jintao, has not made any public appearances in the last week.
Xi has canceled multiple meetings with foreign dignitaries in the past week, including U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Government officials have not issued a statement giving an explanation for these actions.
On Monday, a scheduled photo session with Xi and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt failed to take place. According to the New York Times foreign journalists had been invited to cover the event.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry denied the meeting had ever been scheduled to take place.
The Star Tribune reports that Chinese micro-bloggers and overseas websites have come up with various speculations as to why Xi has been missing from the public's view, ranging from rumors of a heart attack to sports injuries. There has been no official statement made addressing any questions about Xi's health or location.
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