Is China Having A Coup And Is Xi Jinping Under House Arrest?

The internet is abuzz with speculation about China President Xi Jinping being under house arrest.

According to several posts on social media, Xi Jinping has been removed as the head of China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and has been placed under house arrest.

But, neither the country’s ruling Chinese Communist Party nor the state media have given an official confirmation yet.

Xi Jinping recently attended the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Uzbekistan, where he held talks with several other heads of state. He also came face-to-face with Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the first time since border clashes in 2020 frayed ties between India and China.

Several Twitter users have posted about Xi’s alleged house arrest. Some even claimed that this was a military coup and that PLA vehicles that already started moving towards the capital Beijing.

On Twitter, there are also unverified reports about no commercial flights flying over Beijing today.

Some China experts claim that there is no sign of a coup yet beyond the commentary on social media.

Aadil Brar, an expert on China, said that Xi Jinping could be in quarantine after his return from Uzbekistan, which would explain his absence from public affairs.

The speculation about Xi Jinping’s house arrest comes after China sentenced two former ministers to death earlier this week. The two ministers and four other officials, who were sentenced to life, are reportedly part of a ‘political faction’.

The spate of high-profile sentences are a part of China’s anti-corruption campaign ahead of a political meeting next month where President Xi Jinping is expected to secure an unprecedented third term.