Archive · 18 Sep 2026
New Footage Links Modi's Remark to Xi's Faulty Earpiece
People online wondered whether Xi Jinping had become unwell during a meeting with Narendra Modi.
A new video gives another explanation for what happened.
It shows Xi handling or adjusting an earpiece used for translation.
Modi then appears to ask, “Is it okay?”
This suggests the equipment may have stopped working.
The video does not prove the exact words spoken around that moment.
Earlier health rumors therefore appear unsupported by the new footage.
The leaders were attending the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
They also held a bilateral meeting while relations between India and China remained strained.
A newly surfaced video shows Xi Jinping handling a translation earpiece before Modi asks, “Is it okay?”
The footage suggests a technical malfunction, rather than a health incident, prompted Modi’s remark.
The clip was recorded by Russian state broadcaster Rossiya 1 at the BRICS Summit in New Delhi.
The video does not establish the precise words exchanged immediately before or after the remark.
Modi and Xi met amid strained India-China relations following the 2020 Galwan Valley clash.
- Who
- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
- What
- A new video suggests Modi’s “Is it okay?” remark concerned Xi’s faulty translation earpiece, not a health problem.
- When
- During the 18th BRICS Summit; the article does not provide a specific date.
- Where
- Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, India.
- Why
- Xi appeared to be handling or adjusting his simultaneous-interpretation earpiece before Modi’s remark.
Health-related speculation
Technical-malfunction explanation
Meaning of Modi’s remark
Health-related speculation
Earlier footage and online discussion led some users to speculate that “Is it okay?” referred to Xi Jinping’s physical condition.
Technical-malfunction explanation
The new Rossiya 1 footage appears to show Xi handling or adjusting a translation earpiece, suggesting Modi was responding to an equipment problem.
Strength of the evidence
Health-related speculation
The health theory was based on interpreting a brief exchange from an earlier camera angle.
Technical-malfunction explanation
The alternative angle provides additional context, but it does not establish the exact words exchanged immediately before or after the remark.
- Video source
- Russian state broadcaster Rossiya 1
- Event
- 18th BRICS Summit
- Location
- Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi
- Equipment involved
- Earpiece for simultaneous interpretation
- Earlier speculation
- Online users linked Modi’s remark to a possible health issue involving Xi
- New explanation
- The footage appears to show a translation-device malfunction
- Bilateral context
- Modi and Xi held their first meeting on Indian soil in seven years, according to the article