Vice President Xi Jinping, who is widely assumed to be acceding President Hu Jintao this fall, has without explanation cancelled meetings with foreign representatives over the last week, The New York Times reported. Xi missed meetings with US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsienloong last Wednesday, as well as a photo session on Monday with Denmark’s Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt of Denmark, which Chinese officials later claimed had never been arranged. Xi’s absence in the lead-up to China’s once-in-a-decade change in leadership has prompted rumors of poor health and political intrigue in various publications and on the internet. Official announcements have failed to shed light on the matter. “We have told everybody everything,” Hong Lei, a foreign ministry spokesman, commented on Xi’s absence.