No such footage appears in the CCTV broadcast; the image appears to have been doctored.
Fact-check reporter: Shao-An Chiu
Managing editor: Wei-Ting Chen
The original publication can be read here.
Following the Trump–Xi summit, a screenshot purportedly taken from a live broadcast by China’s state broadcaster, CCTV News, circulated online, showing U.S. President Donald Trump bowing to Chinese President Xi Jinping as he shook his hand. Our investigation found that no such scene appears in the CCTV broadcast; the circulating image appears to have been doctored.
- The original event behind the circulating image is the welcome ceremony for Trump and Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14. A review of CCTV News live footage shows that as Trump’s motorcade arrived at the square, Xi Jinping was waiting at the steps; Trump stepped out of the car, walked over, and greeted Xi with a handshake. At no point did he bow while shaking hands, as the circulating image suggests.
- A review of live footage from Reuters, the Associated Press, and other outlets likewise shows no scene of Trump bowing. Searches of the AP, Reuters, and Getty photo archives turned up no photograph of Trump bowing while shaking hands with Xi during his trip to China.
- International fact-checking organizations Lead Stories, EFE (Agencia EFE), and Maldita have also verified the circulating image, and all concluded it had been manipulated.
The claim that CCTV’s live broadcast showed Trump bowing to Xi Jinping while shaking hands does not match what actually happened, and the circulating image appears to have been doctored. The claim is therefore rated “False.”
Background
Trump visited Beijing from May 13 to 15 to meet with Xi Jinping. Afterward, a screenshot purportedly from a live broadcast by China’s state broadcaster, CCTV, circulated on social media, showing U.S. President Trump bowing to Chinese President Xi Jinping as he shook his hand.
Fact-check
Verification point: Is the circulating image authentic?
Live footage of the Trump–Xi meeting shows no bow during the handshake; the circulating image appears to have been doctored.
(1) A reverse image search shows that the circulating image resembles the welcome ceremony held before the Trump–Xi meeting at the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square in Beijing on May 14.
A review of CCTV News and the CCTV live broadcast (33:29–33:57) shows Trump’s car arriving at the steps of the square, with Xi Jinping waiting at the steps; Trump walked over and greeted Xi with a handshake. No footage shows him bowing while shaking hands, as depicted in the circulating image.
(2) A review of live footage from CBS News, Reuters, the Associated Press, and the White House likewise shows no bow from Trump toward Xi during the handshake.
(3) International fact-checking organizations Lead Stories, Agencia EFE, and Maldita have also verified the circulating image. All concluded that no scene of Trump bowing to Xi Jinping appears in the CCTV broadcast and that the image had been manipulated.
Reposted from the TFC website in collaboration with StopFake as part of the Ukraine–Taiwan Initiative for Election Information Resilience.
