By Li Jingyao, Vision Times
According to multiple netizen accounts circulating in China, a major explosion inside the G95 Capital Ring Expressway (Beijing’s Seventh Ring Road) tunnel took place on Dec. 17. The deadly blast reportedly caused multiple casualties, yet Chinese authorities have issued no official statement, fueling widespread speculation of a cover-up at the hands of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
According to individuals with insider knowledge, the explosion was allegedly directed at Chinese leader Xi Jinping, with reports suggesting that the casualty list included individuals on “special missions.”
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Heavy casualties, media silence
Hong Kong’s Ming Pao acknowledged that a “serious traffic accident” occurred in the Duying Tunnel along the G95 Capital Ring Expressway, involving the explosion of a fuel tanker. The incident reportedly damaged more than 20 vehicles and severely damaged the tunnel itself, with multiple deaths and injuries reported. The exact number of casualties remains unknown.
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Separately, Chinese outlet Jiupai News reported that a netizen who reposted a video of the “Yesanpo highway tunnel accident” on Dec. 18, accompanied by the message “hoping everyone is safe,” received a phone call the same day from someone claiming to be with the Yesanpo Brigade of the Baoding Traffic Police Detachment.
The caller demanded that the video be deleted from Weibo (a popular blogging and social media app in China). When the netizen requested the caller’s badge number and name, the request was refused. The caller stated, “I’m not enforcing the law. There’s no need to give you a badge number or name. I’m just communicating with you. Who said this is law enforcement?”
Despite refusing to identify himself, the caller insisted the post be removed and ultimately insulted the netizen as a “stupid f—” before hanging up.
Videos uploaded by netizens show massive flames and thick smoke filling the tunnel at the time of the explosion. Afterward, the scene was strewn with wreckage, with more than 20 vehicles severely damaged, some blown apart. The condition of people inside the vehicles appeared grim. Some accounts claim the tunnel partially collapsed.
Despite reports of severe casualties, state media remained completely silent. Numerous Chinese netizens posted their
- “There were dozens of cars in the tunnel when it happened. Basically no one made it out.”
- “So many cars exploded, the tunnel collapsed, and the fire burned for two days.”
- “The fuel tanker explosion involved dozens of vehicles. Casualties were very serious. The opposite tunnel was also filled with smoke.”
Some netizens described the incident as the most terrifying explosion in China since the Tianjin blasts.
Was Xi Jinping the target?
Multiple unverified versions of events have since emerged online. One version claims the explosion was intended to target Chinese President Xi Jinping. According to this account, the casualty list included several individuals belonging to Xi’s special security unit, including a person described as carrying out a “special mission,” allegedly Xi Jinping’s body double, who was said to have been killed in the blast.
Other rumors allege that a special security detachment linked to Xi attempted to move from the security apparatus toward Zhongnanhai to implement close protection measures, only to be ambushed by military forces near the southern Seventh Ring Road. The tunnel was allegedly used as an ambush point.
Sources claiming insider knowledge said that Cai Qi and Wang Xiaohong rushed to the scene following the explosion, after which a confidential report containing three key conclusions was delivered to Xi Jinping. The perpetrators were suspected to have links to Xinjiang, with signs of “external forces.”
Investigators allegedly found debris not belonging to the vehicle and bladed weapons among the wreckage, indicating clear premeditation. Several members of Xi Jinping’s security entourage were reportedly killed or injured. These points, if true, would indicate a decapitation-style attack targeting the top leadership.
Sources further claimed that after reading the report, Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan retreated to an underground air-raid shelter in Zhongnanhai for two days and two nights, with Xi said to be in a state of extreme anxiety and convinced that Zhang Youxia was behind the incident.
Alternate claim: A ‘precision purge’ ordered by Xi
Another version circulating online presents an entirely different narrative. According to this claim, the explosion was a “precision elimination” operation personally directed and deployed by Xi Jinping, with the target allegedly being a deputy commander of the Air Force.
This version links the incident to the reported abnormal death of Chang Dingqiu, a Xi ally who allegedly died while under investigation amid internal military power struggles. Enraged, Xi allegedly orchestrated the blast in the southern Seventh Ring Road tunnel to eliminate Zhang Youxia’s Air Force deputy and accompanying personnel.
Analysts note that each scenario carries troubling implications, including:
- If it was a failed assassination, it would expose serious vulnerabilities in Xi Jinping’s personal security.
- If it was an internal counterstrike, it would suggest elite power struggles have entered a phase where established rules no longer apply.
- If it was an accident, it would indicate that Beijing’s vaunted stability-maintenance system has failed at its very first line of defense.
Whatever the truth, the explosion has lifted the curtain on escalating factional collisions within the Chinese Communist Party, marking what some observers see as the opening act of a far more dangerous confrontation.
Editorial Note: Many claims cited above originate from online sources and have not been independently verified. Chinese authorities have released no official information regarding the incident.
