Shenzhen, October 17: Chinese President Xi Jinping was seen coughing a lot during his speech in Shenzhen on Wednesday, raising speculations about his health. Jinping was seen coughing while speaking at a celebratory event of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. The event was organised to promote the continued development of China's first special economic zone. According to reports, the event was delayed for 30 minutes for unexplained reasons. Hong Kong's Apple Daily, which ran the headline "Xi Jinping coughs and coughs at Shenzhen event as Carrie Lam stays away from VIPs," noted that the Chinese president "was seen coughing away and drinking water." China President Xi Jinping Tells Marines ‘To Be Prepared to Go to War’ Amid Tensions With Taiwan.

According to reports, Xi spoke for about 50 minutes. At first, he spoke at a slow pace during the first half. The President then frequently paused to drink water and coughed repeatedly in the second half. Reports inform that earlier in the week, Xi visited Chaozhou and Shantou as part of his southbound tour but did not practice the coronavirus norm and closely interacted with people on the streets. Most of the people who showed up to see him did not wear masks.  Donald Trump Calls COVID-19 as 'Artificial Horrible Situation', Says US Will Never Forget What China Did.

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After the video of Jinping coughing went viral, speculation was soon rife online about his condition. However,  there are no indications that he has COVID-19 infection. China battles to recover from the effects of a COVID-19 pandemic which started in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Reports inform that recently reported a new cluster of infections in the eastern port city of Qingdao.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 17, 2020 11:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).