To see the original video, please visit the Final War’s YouTube channel here.
Rumors are swirling in Beijing as Chinese leader Xi Jinping faces mounting pressure both personally and politically. As noted by the popular YouTube channel “Final War with Katherine Hu,” Xi’s 99-year-old mother, Qi Xin, has passed away, but the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has remained silent. No public mourning, no funeral announcements, and no appearances from the usually highly-visible First Lady, Peng Liyuan, who hasn’t been seen publicly in over 40 days.
If the reports are true, the implications go far beyond personal grief. They signal a deepening instability at the heart of the CCP leadership — and perhaps the beginning of the end for Xi Jinping’s decade-long grip on power.
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Why no public mourning?
“According to insiders familiar with the situation, Xi Jinping’s mother, Qi Xin, has passed away. But the exact date? Unknown,” says Hu. Despite Qi’s influential role in party circles and her symbolic stature, there’s been no official confirmation or denial. As Hu notes, “This time? Silence. No rebuttals. No confirmation. Nothing.”
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Qi Xin, born in 1926, reportedly lived in Xinglin Shanzhuang, a secure residence for retired senior CCP officials. Given her age, any passing would typically be honored publicly — especially considering her family’s prominence. But this time, there’s no sign of the usual protocol, such as a funeral at the Babaoshan Revolutionary Cemetery or attendance from top Party members.
The deliberate silence has sparked speculation that Xi is losing his once-firm control on the Party.
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Behind closed doors
“Xi is in the most precarious and sensitive moment of his leadership,” Hu explained. “The quiet handling of his mother’s death likely stems from one key issue: the funeral’s protocol.”
Under ordinary circumstances, such a funeral would underscore Xi’s dominance, reflecting both his status and legacy. That this hasn’t occurred — amid rising pressure from Party elders and competing factions — may suggest Xi no longer commands the privileges once afforded to him.
This is not the first time Qi Xin’s death has been rumored. In 2022, during the chaotic lifting of China’s COVID restrictions, speculation ran rampant that she died from the virus. State media quickly pushed back, publishing photos of her during official visits. She even appeared in a 2023 documentary commemorating the 110th birthday of her husband, Xi Zhongxun. But this time, no such rebuttal has emerged.
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Where is Xi’s wife, Peng Liyuan?
Also fueling uncertainty is the absence of Xi’s wife, Peng Liyuan. Her last public appearance was on May 13, when she joined Brazil’s First Lady in Beijing. Since then, she has missed major diplomatic events, including key state visits to Russia and Southeast Asia.
In a rare disclosure, Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Nikolai Snopkov suggested Peng and Xi’s daughter were present at a private dinner with President Lukashenko. He quoted Xi as saying: “My friend, our relationship is special, so today we’ll have a family dinner. For the first time in history, my daughter will dine with a foreign leader.” Analysts say this move could reflect the Xi family’s fading official stature.
Behind the political theater lies a more painful story: the complicated relationship between Xi and his mother. In one widely shared photo, Xi holds his mother’s hand as they walk through a park — a rare moment of familial warmth. But as Hu revealed, the real story is far more tragic.
Fading authority signals a power shift
During the Cultural Revolution, Xi was just 13 years old when he was labeled a “current counterrevolutionary” and imprisoned. At a public denunciation rally, a teenage Xi was forced to wear an iron dunce cap. “In the audience that day sat his mother, Qi Xin. When the crowd was ordered to chant, ‘Down with Xi Jinping!’ she, too, was forced to raise her hand and join in.”
In one haunting anecdote, Xi escaped detention one stormy night and returned home, cold and hungry. “Mom, I’m hungry,” he told her. But in fear of the consequences, Qi Xin quietly reported him to authorities. “It wasn’t out of cruelty. It was desperation,” Hu said.
Despite this painful past, Qi Xin continued to quietly support her son’s political ascent. She wrote to senior officials on his behalf, helping him rebound during difficult career stretches in Hebei and Fujian.
But now, as Xi faces his own uncertain future, the question is whether the Party will repay that loyalty.
Xi’s will?
In a particularly startling revelation, Xi has reportedly submitted a will to the Politburo. In it, he pleads:
“Treat the Xi family kindly. It wasn’t easy for the Xi family to recover.”
And: “Even if the Xi family is destroyed, we will always love our country.”
The plea underscores his growing fear that the same system he championed may now turn against him — just as it did in his youth. With Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia reportedly consolidating military control and leading armed patrols through Beijing, signs point to a coming transition.
“Xi no longer qualifies for such high-level privileges. While he can still put on a public face, what comes after he steps down — or is pushed out — is deeply uncertain,” noted Hu.
The beginning of the end
Once viewed as the most powerful Chinese leader since Mao, Xi now faces eroding loyalty, opaque political maneuvering, and possibly the same fate as former leaders who disappeared after falling from grace. The recent unexplained death of former Premier Li Keqiang, many believe, was a signal that Xi could be next.
As Hu concluded: “By 2025, the Chinese Communist regime stands on the brink of collapse.”
While Xi remains in the spotlight at some public events, the inconsistencies in his visibility — skipping the upcoming BRICS summit, for instance — suggest that even his movements are now under careful choreography. It’s a slow and managed unraveling, meant to avoid shocks while preparing the nation and Party for change.
In the end, Xi Jinping’s legacy may be less about his rise — and more about how he faltered.
To see the original video, please visit the Final War’s YouTube channel here.
