Speculation over the medical condition of former Chinese Communist leader Jiang Zemin continues unabated since a Hong Kong television station, ATV, broadcast an unattributed news story of his death on July 6. Jiang’s health has been thought to be in decline for some months, but when he did not make an appearance for the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Chinese Communist party on July 1, it was suspected that the 84-year old must be in his last days.

Shortly after the ATV report China’s state-controlled Xinhua news agency released a statement that “recent reports of some overseas media organizations about Jiang Zemin’s death from illness are pure rumor,” and attributed the information to “authoritative sources.”