It’s rare for a young woman who has never held office, given interviews, or appeared on social media to become the center of a geopolitical flashpoint . But Xi Mingze , the only daughter of Chinese President Xi Jinping , has found herself precisely there — not because of what she’s said or done publicly, but because of where she might be: back in the United States.
Her name has re-emerged in headlines amid escalating US-China tensions , particularly surrounding the visa status of Chinese students. In a pointed move, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States will begin “aggressively” revoking the visas of Chinese nationals with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in “critical fields.”
Beijing responded with outrage. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told AFP on Thursday: “The US has unreasonably cancelled Chinese students' visas under the pretext of ideology and national rights. China firmly opposes this and has lodged representations with the US.”
This diplomatic friction has drawn renewed attention to Xi Mingze, who, according to a swirl of reports and political claims, may currently be residing in Massachusetts — under the protection of Chinese bodyguards and, allegedly, with the knowledge or assistance of U.S. authorities.
What reignited the interest
The latest storm began with a post on X (formerly Twitter) by far-right commentator and Donald Trump ally Laura Loomer, who claimed that Xi Mingze is “living in Massachusetts” under Chinese Communist Party security. The claim was not substantiated with evidence, but it picked up steam online, drawing renewed scrutiny over whether the Chinese leader’s daughter is residing in the same country her government frequently clashes with.
The speculation is not entirely new. In 2022, former US Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler claimed during a congressional hearing that “Xi Jinping’s daughter is living in America.” At the time, Hartzler was pushing for legislation called the “Protecting Higher Education from the Chinese Communist Party Act.”
That same year, a Chinese political commentator based in the U.S. reiterated Hartzler’s statement on his YouTube channel and added that Xi Mingze had returned to the U.S. in 2019 after spending several years in China. According to a report by ANI, the commentator believes Xi is still living in the Cambridge area and is currently a research student.
So, Who Is Xi Mingze?
Xi Mingze was born on June 25, 1992, in Fuzhou, Fujian province, and is the only child of Xi Jinping and the First Lady, Peng Liyuan — a celebrated Chinese folk singer and now China’s First Lady. According to Newsweek, Xi Mingze was raised in a politically prominent household, attending elite institutions like Beijing Jingshan School and Hangzhou Foreign Language School, where she studied French.
She enrolled at Harvard University in 2010 under a pseudonym to protect her identity and privacy. According to Business Insider, she graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and English. The Taiwanese press, as cited by Business Insider, also claimed that Xi was under 24/7 surveillance by Chinese bodyguards, reportedly with assistance from the FBI during her time at the Ivy League university.
“She studied all the time,” said Asahi Shimbun correspondent Kenji Minemura in an interview with The New Yorker in 2015, offering rare insight into her lifestyle during her stay in the U.S.
A life kept deliberately out of sight
Xi Mingze has maintained an extremely low public profile. Her only widely reported public appearances were in 2008, when she volunteered in Hanwang, Mianzhu for disaster relief after the Sichuan earthquake — and in 2013, when she was photographed with her parents during Chinese New Year celebrations in Liangjiahe village, Shaanxi.
Her privacy is so zealously guarded by the Chinese government that in 2019, a man named Niu Tengyu was sentenced to 14 years in prison for allegedly publishing personal information about Xi Mingze and other senior Communist Party leaders online. The sentence was widely viewed as a harsh signal of the government's zero-tolerance policy toward breaches of the first family’s confidentiality.
WantChinaTimes, a Taiwanese publication, once described her as “a low-key and easy-going girl, who counts reading and fashion among her hobbies.”
Why her location matters
The renewed attention on Xi Mingze isn’t just tabloid fodder — it’s politically explosive. Her possible presence in the United States while Chinese students with lesser connections are being barred, scrutinized, or deported, raises difficult questions for both Beijing and Washington.
On one hand, her presence underscores the Chinese elite’s enduring reliance on Western education, even as China increasingly positions itself in opposition to U.S. values and policies. On the other hand, for critics of the Chinese Communist Party, her speculated presence in Massachusetts is being held up as a glaring double standard — one that exposes vulnerabilities in the U.S.'s handling of foreign influence and elite privilege.
Her name has re-emerged in headlines amid escalating US-China tensions , particularly surrounding the visa status of Chinese students. In a pointed move, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the United States will begin “aggressively” revoking the visas of Chinese nationals with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or those studying in “critical fields.”
Beijing responded with outrage. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told AFP on Thursday: “The US has unreasonably cancelled Chinese students' visas under the pretext of ideology and national rights. China firmly opposes this and has lodged representations with the US.”
This diplomatic friction has drawn renewed attention to Xi Mingze, who, according to a swirl of reports and political claims, may currently be residing in Massachusetts — under the protection of Chinese bodyguards and, allegedly, with the knowledge or assistance of U.S. authorities.
What reignited the interest
The latest storm began with a post on X (formerly Twitter) by far-right commentator and Donald Trump ally Laura Loomer, who claimed that Xi Mingze is “living in Massachusetts” under Chinese Communist Party security. The claim was not substantiated with evidence, but it picked up steam online, drawing renewed scrutiny over whether the Chinese leader’s daughter is residing in the same country her government frequently clashes with.
The speculation is not entirely new. In 2022, former US Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler claimed during a congressional hearing that “Xi Jinping’s daughter is living in America.” At the time, Hartzler was pushing for legislation called the “Protecting Higher Education from the Chinese Communist Party Act.”
That same year, a Chinese political commentator based in the U.S. reiterated Hartzler’s statement on his YouTube channel and added that Xi Mingze had returned to the U.S. in 2019 after spending several years in China. According to a report by ANI, the commentator believes Xi is still living in the Cambridge area and is currently a research student.
First Lady of China, madame Peng Liyuan, visited Serbian National Museum with Tamara Vucic, First Lady of Serbia. pic.twitter.com/6rl0PigO6l
— 橙色熊猫 (@xiongmaoxuanchn) May 9, 2024
So, Who Is Xi Mingze?
Xi Mingze was born on June 25, 1992, in Fuzhou, Fujian province, and is the only child of Xi Jinping and the First Lady, Peng Liyuan — a celebrated Chinese folk singer and now China’s First Lady. According to Newsweek, Xi Mingze was raised in a politically prominent household, attending elite institutions like Beijing Jingshan School and Hangzhou Foreign Language School, where she studied French.
She enrolled at Harvard University in 2010 under a pseudonym to protect her identity and privacy. According to Business Insider, she graduated in 2014 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology and English. The Taiwanese press, as cited by Business Insider, also claimed that Xi was under 24/7 surveillance by Chinese bodyguards, reportedly with assistance from the FBI during her time at the Ivy League university.
“She studied all the time,” said Asahi Shimbun correspondent Kenji Minemura in an interview with The New Yorker in 2015, offering rare insight into her lifestyle during her stay in the U.S.
A life kept deliberately out of sight
Xi Mingze has maintained an extremely low public profile. Her only widely reported public appearances were in 2008, when she volunteered in Hanwang, Mianzhu for disaster relief after the Sichuan earthquake — and in 2013, when she was photographed with her parents during Chinese New Year celebrations in Liangjiahe village, Shaanxi.
Her privacy is so zealously guarded by the Chinese government that in 2019, a man named Niu Tengyu was sentenced to 14 years in prison for allegedly publishing personal information about Xi Mingze and other senior Communist Party leaders online. The sentence was widely viewed as a harsh signal of the government's zero-tolerance policy toward breaches of the first family’s confidentiality.
WantChinaTimes, a Taiwanese publication, once described her as “a low-key and easy-going girl, who counts reading and fashion among her hobbies.”
Why her location matters
The renewed attention on Xi Mingze isn’t just tabloid fodder — it’s politically explosive. Her possible presence in the United States while Chinese students with lesser connections are being barred, scrutinized, or deported, raises difficult questions for both Beijing and Washington.
On one hand, her presence underscores the Chinese elite’s enduring reliance on Western education, even as China increasingly positions itself in opposition to U.S. values and policies. On the other hand, for critics of the Chinese Communist Party, her speculated presence in Massachusetts is being held up as a glaring double standard — one that exposes vulnerabilities in the U.S.'s handling of foreign influence and elite privilege.
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