It is not just Donald Trump who puts Xi Jinping under pressure, China’s head of state and party leader also has to juggle a lot of balls on the home front. In the tense political climate, deviations from routine fuel the rumor mill. For once, because no meeting of the powerful Politburo has yet been reported in May. Have the country’s 24 top politicians and military leaders skipped the regular monthly meeting? Or was there a meeting where it came to a heated argument? In a system as opaque as China’s, the lack of information immediately sparks wild speculation, which also raises questions about Xi himself.