Xi’s Reappearance Shows Risks in China Leadership Change

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping’s emergence from a two-week absence without any official explanation highlights the uncertainty caused by the opaque way in which the world’s second-biggest economy changes leaders.

Xi’s Sept. 15 visit to China Agricultural University in Beijing, his first public appearance since Sept. 1, was covered by state television, radio and the official Xinhua News Agency. None mentioned that his disappearance had sparked speculation about his health and his prospects for ascending to China’s top leadership position this year at a Communist Party congress, for which a date has yet to be announced.