President Xi Jinping reemerged after not being seen in public since his first foreign trip in more than two years earlier this month.
Xi, wearing a mask, visited an exhibition in Beijing on Tuesday about China’s achievements over the past decade, state-run news outlet Xinhua reported. The Chinese leader was accompanied by the other six members of the Politburo Standing Committee, a sign of unity after rumors circulated on Twitter about a challenge to his power.
Xi’s public appearance comes after he returned to Beijing from a summit in Uzbekistan at midnight on September 16. Prior to that trip, the Chinese leader last went abroad in January 2020, when he visited Myanmar days before locking down the central city of Wuhan and entering a long spell of Covid isolation.
His recent absence was consistent with China’s strict Covid protocols, which mandate all international arrivals undergo seven days of hotel quarantine, followed by three days of home isolation. It was the second time Xi has at least given the impression of adhering to his nation’s Covid Zero rules.
In July, the Chinese leader wasn’t seen in public for almost two weeks after a two-day trip to Hong Kong to celebrate 25 years of Chinese rule in the city. That marked his first time outside mainland China in more than two years, although he didn’t stay overnight in the finance hub.