Chinese pro-democracy activist Jie Lijian said he was recovering in a New York hospital after friends found him unconscious at his residence on Sept. 29, more than 24 hours after he stopped responding to calls and messages. The incident came days after Jie took part in demonstrations during Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s Sept. 23-25 state visit to the United States. The cause of Jie’s collapse has not been publicly established.
Jie stopped communicating with friends on the afternoon of Sept. 27, according to fellow activist Yang Lei. On Sept. 29, Yang wrote on social media that Jie had been unreachable for more than 24 hours and that members of his team had contacted police. Vision Times reported on Oct. 1 that Jie was later located at his New York residence.
Yang Maosen, founder of the New Era People’s Party of China, said he went to the residence after obtaining Jie’s address through an emergency contact. According to Yang, neighbors knocked on the door without receiving a response, police were called, and the landlord opened the residence. Yang said he found Jie lying unconscious on his bed but still breathing.
Yang said Jie began responding as emergency personnel carried him to an ambulance and then vomited. He said the vomit appeared to contain blood, although he stressed that the cause would need to be determined through medical examination.
Jie Lijian speaks from hospital
On Sept. 30, Yang Maosen said Jie had regained consciousness and was out of immediate danger, but remained hospitalized for observation. Jie later posted an update on X saying he was receiving treatment in a private room and continued to experience vomiting after gastric lavage.
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“I am still vomiting after having my stomach pumped,” Jie wrote. “This morning, I was noticeably more conscious and alert than yesterday.” He added that his headaches and abdominal pain had eased.
Jie also issued a statement rejecting the possibility that he intended to harm himself. “I will continue to cherish my life,” he wrote, adding that he would “absolutely never choose to end my own life by suicide or in any other way.”
In the same post, Jie alleged that if he were killed or died under suspicious circumstances, he believed the Chinese government or CCP-linked actors would be responsible. No public evidence has established that claim, and no official finding has linked his collapse to the Chinese government.
Cause of collapse remains unclear
Questions about the cause of Jie’s condition intensified after Yang Maosen said he experienced dry heaving while emergency personnel were treating Jie and later felt nauseated after returning to the residence to look for Jie’s cellphone. Yang said he did not know whether the symptoms were related to anything in the room and noted that the landlord, who was also present, reported no unusual symptoms.
The account prompted speculation that Jie may have been poisoned, but the claim remains unverified. Vision Times reported on Oct. 1 that the cause of his collapse had not been publicly established. As of Oct. 2, no publicly identified medical or law-enforcement finding had confirmed poisoning or attributed the incident to any person or government.
The incident occurred against a backdrop of threats and confrontations surrounding Xi’s U.S. visit. Vision Times reported on Sept. 23 that Jie said he and other organizers had received bomb and death threats that he said were reported to the FBI and New York police. During a Sept. 20 demonstration in Flushing, New York, fellow activist Yang Lei was allegedly assaulted, and police detained a counterprotester.
Jie has previously described being targeted because of his activism. PBS NewsHour reported in 2023 that he said he had been attacked multiple times in the United States and had received death threats. In July 2026, Jie said three men followed and assaulted him near the Queens Botanical Garden in Flushing, leaving him with a serious head injury and requiring hospital treatment. Responsibility for that attack has not been publicly established.
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