Xi Jinping rumoured to be suffering from brain aneurysm: Report

Beijing, May 15: Chinese President Xi Jinping is rumoured to be suffering from brain aneurysm and won't go under the knife to treat it, the media reported. Bloggers have suggested that the 68-year-old Xi prefers traditional medicine and will refuse brain surgery, Daily Mail reported citing online posts removed by state censors.

At the start of the Covid-19 pandemic two year ago, China worked to export traditional medicine options for the treatment of the disease. Xi was one of the campaign's leading advocates, said the Daily Mail report. The President has reportedly struggled as a wave of ultra-strict Covid lockdowns across China stretch the nation's economy and the government's ability to suppress dissent.

Like Russian President Vladimir Putin, Xi's health has always been a closely guarded secret. Addressing a crowd in Shenzhen during the first Covid wave in 2020, observers noted his slow speech and coughing, Daily Mail reported. While visiting Italy in March 2019, Xi was pictured with a noticeable limp and needing help while trying to sit down.

Last week the Politburo state council warned the public not to rebel against lockdowns. China's 'Zero Covid' policy has included some of the world's most draconian social distancing measures including fencing around apartment buildings and metal barriers in the street. Though it carefully censors the web, China's government has also struggled to keep a lid on disaffection with the Zero Covid plan.

An estimated 180 million Chinese are in lockdown despite relatively low infection rates. Draconian measures in Shanghai have only tightened, with children told to walk to school in hazmat suits and diners trapped in a restaurant after the doors were drilled shut.

Buildings where cases were found have had entrances sealed up, with a small opening for Covid prevention guards to pass through.