Kathmandu. On Wednesday, the Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly coughed a lot while addressing an event, promoting the continued development of Shenzhen, China’s first Special Economic Zone. Critics in Beijing quickly sought opportunity, after reports surfaced on several Chinese media platforms, to raise concerns on the President’s health.

A Hong Kong based newspaper, Apple Daily mentioned that in the second half of his 50-minute long speech, President Xi had stopped to drink water several times and was seen to be constantly coughing. The report noted that, “Whenever Xi stopped, the live feed from state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) would turn the camera to guests sitting beyond the main table, but it could still capture the sounds of Xi’s coughing and drinking.”

The Epoch Times, affiliated with the Falun Gong religious group, has even gone so far as to suspect that Xi Jinping may have contracted COVID-19. The newspaper was suppressed for a very long time in China and is now one of Beijing’s biggest critics. Some Taiwanese media outlets have also reported on Jinping’s “severe coughs.”

However, Xi’s cough may not necessarily be due to illness, as he spoke for about an hour, mostly in air conditioned settings which is not uncommon in China. Due to these reasons, his throat may have been dry on Thursday, as some speculate.