Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping appeared in public for the first time in two weeks, ending an absence that fueled speculation about his health and prospects for succeeding Hu Jintao as the nation’s leader.

Xi visited an exhibition in the China Agricultural University in Beijing at around 9:30 a.m. today, according to the official Xinhua News Agency, which published photographs of the 59-year-old smiling and walking. While attending activities to mark the National Science Popularization Day, Xi spoke about the need for China to increase food safety awareness and consumer satisfaction, Xinhua said.

The appearance of Xi may alleviate concern about the leadership succession in China, where the Communist Party is expected to meet as early as next month ahead of a once-in-a- decade transfer of power. Chinese officials had declined to comment on reasons for his cancellation of meetings this month with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

“The photo and news release from Xinhua aren’t enough to end all the rumors and doubts about Xi,” Linda Li, a professor of political science at City University of Hong Kong, said in a telephone interview today. “This can only show that Xi’s situation isn’t deteriorating. If China wants to further allay speculation over his health and uncertainties over leadership transition, it might need to release more information on Xi’s schedule in the near term.”

Leadership Succession

The cancellation of meetings with foreign leaders this month fueled speculation about a leadership succession that had already been clouded by the scandal surrounding ousted Politburo member Bo Xilai. The party still hasn’t announced the date of the congress where the handover to a new generation of leaders will begin.

Xi, who was wearing a dark jacket with a light shirt in the Xinhua photographs, was accompanied today by senior government officials including Wang Zhaoguo and Han Qide, vice chairmen of China’s top lawmaking body, and Liu Yunshan, head of the Communist Party’s publicity department, according to news agency.

He toured an exhibit on China’s self-cultivated pest- and drought-resistant corn, and also participated in an activity testing for melamine in milk, Xinhua said. China needs the entire country to participate and care about food safety, which is an important issue, Xi was cited as saying in the report.

Looking Healthy

A volunteer at the university said Xi looked very healthy and was smiling when he visited the exhibition. The student, who was manning a booth on the anti-cancer qualities of fruits and vegetables, declined to provide her name, saying that she isn’t a spokeswoman for the university. Xi left the event in under an hour, according to another volunteer, who also didn’t want to be named.

As of 4 p.m. local time, the official China Central Television hadn’t yet shown any footage of Xi attending the event today in the Chinese capital.

Media reports published since Xi’s absence said variously he may have suffered a heart attack or sustained a back injury, either while playing soccer or swimming. Citing unidentified people from China, the Hong Kong Economic Times reported yesterday that he has only a minor injury, discarding speculation that he has cancer or was in a car accident.

Prior to his appearance today, Xi was last seen in public speaking at the Party School of the Communist Party on Sept. 1. The official Guangxi Daily also reported on Sept. 13 that the vice president joined other top Chinese officials in sending condolences to the family of a top party member who died on Sept. 6. The story was also posted on the Communist Party’s website.

More Speculation

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said last week the cancellations of meetings with foreign leaders were a “normal adjustment” and declined to address Xi’s health.

“If China doesn’t release more details officially, this will continue to raise speculation over Xi,” Ming Sing, an associate professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology’s division of social science, said in a telephone interview today. “It is important for the Chinese government to come out and clarify all the doubts as investors and the public have been expecting Xi to be the leader of China in the next five to 10 years.”

Xi is the son of a former vice premier and ran coastal Zhejiang province from 2002 to 2007. He was party secretary in Shanghai in 2007 before being appointed to the Politburo Standing Committee at the 17th party congress during the fall of that year. On a trip to the U.S. in February, he met with President Barack Obama in Washington and toured rural Muscatine, Iowa, which he had visited as an agricultural official 27 years before.

“The leadership will need to explain the absence still in order to stabilize expectations,” Noah Feldman, a Harvard University law professor and a columnist for Bloomberg View, said in an e-mail today. “Otherwise there will still be a meaningful cost to legitimacy.”

To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Stephanie Tong in Hong Kong at stong17@bloomberg.net; Daryl Loo in Beijing at dloo7@bloomberg.net; Chua Baizhen in Beijing at bchua14@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Bruce Grant at bruceg@bloomberg.net

• Facebook Share
• LinkedIn
• Google +1
• COMMENTS
• Print
• QUEUE