BEIJING: Chinese Internet users have been left scratching their heads after state media issued a bizarre report yesterday denying a story about President Xi Jinping wearing a wedding ring during the G20 summit in Russia.
The official Xinhua news agency put out a one-line report stating: “Talk on the Internet about Xi Jinping wearing a wedding ring at the G20 summit is fake information.” It provided no further explanation.
The denial comes as China embarks on yet another crackdown on what it terms “online rumours”, as the control-obsessed government tries once again to rein in social media.
Xinhua’s report appeared to stem from a lingering shot carried on state television earlier in the week of Xi’s right hand, complete with the ring, which had been discussed on social media sites as an image of China’s president wearing his wedding ring had apparently never been shown before.
Chinese do not commonly wear wedding rings, though the practice is catching on among the middle classes. Reuters
