China: army overthrows Xi Jinping, puts President under house arrest? Why PLA coup claims are going viral

Has China's President Xi Jinping fallen victim to a coup, and being held under house arrest? Such claims are making the rounds on social media, with commentators pointing to Xi's absence in public, and alleging military movement towards capital city Beijing.

Assertions viral on social media included claims that Xi has been removed as the head of China's military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Some users posted videos claimed to be an 80-km-long military procession headed to Beijing. Others alleged that more than half the flights in China had been grounded.

Neither the Chinese Communist Party, nor the state media, had commented on the claims by the evening of 25 September 2022.

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Some commentators said that the President was likely to be in Covid quarantine for a few days following a foreign trip.

The rumours of a coup emerged days after two former Chinese ministers were sentenced to death. The case was seen as part of Xi's continuous campaign to root out his opponents.

Xi was recently seen at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Uzbekistan, which was also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.