Xi Jinping was heir apparent for presidency...but where is he?
How Hwee Young, Pool / Getty Images
This puts that canceled meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton into perspective. Xi Jinping, the man favored to be the next president of China, canceled a meeting Monday with the Danish prime minister—fueling speculation that the country’s well-organized leadership has been disrupted. Chinese government officials offered no reasons for the canceled meetings or why Xi has not appeared in public since last week, although it is rumored that he hurt his back. Chinese Communist officials had been expected to meet later this year to pick a new president, and Xi, the current vice president, has long been favored for the position—but no date has been set for that meeting, making Xi’s absence even more prominent.