During a September visit to Washington, the Chinese delegation asked that 73-year-old Chinese President Xi Jinping be provided with a separate room to rest and that more breaks be included in his schedule. He also declined a working lunch with U.S. President Donald Trump, The Wall Street Journal reports, citing sources, writes UNN.
Details
A special room was set up in the West Wing of the White House. According to the publication, only Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, had access to it. Because time for rest was provided for in the summit program, a break of about five hours emerged.
Dennis Wilder, a former senior official of the U.S. National Security Council, called the request unusual and said that he had never encountered anything similar while organizing state visits.
Xi’s schedule was arranged with his physical exertion in mind
According to the WSJ, the Chinese delegation took into account how long Xi could remain on his feet, how far he would have to walk, and when breaks would be needed. No events were planned for him at all on the evening after his arrival in Washington, and on the final day of the visit he spent about 10 minutes at the National Archives—less time than the organizers had anticipated.
The publication also noted that in some videos Xi moved carefully on the stairs and held his wife’s hand. At the same time, these details alone do not indicate any specific health problems.
The WSJ notes that questions about the Chinese leader’s physical condition had arisen previously as well. At the same time, analysts interviewed by the publication saw no signs of a decline in his cognitive abilities.