Old photo of Chinese leaders meeting falsely linked to Russia uprising

"Chinese [leaders] brought together in an emergency meeting in the middle of the night because of Russia," reads a Korean-language Facebook post shared on June 25.

"Their expressions don't look bright."

The post surfaced after the chief of the Wagner mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin said his troops had taken control of Rostov-on-Don -- a hub for Russia's Ukraine campaign -- and vowed to topple Moscow's top military leaders.

China weighed in well over 24 hours after the mutiny began, pledging its support for Russia's efforts in "protecting national stability".

But by the time the ministry issued its statement, the rebellion in Russia had been quelled, with the Kremlin announcing Prigozhin would leave for Belarus and that Moscow would not prosecute him or Wagner's members.

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Screenshot of the false Facebook post. Captured June 26, 2023.

The photo was also shared with the same false claim on Facebook here, here and here.

However, the photo was taken by AFP photographer Greg Baker in Beijing on September 30, 2021.

The caption of the photo, which is available in AFP's archives, reads: "Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) arrives with Premier Li Keqiang (L) and members of the Politburo Standing Committee for a reception at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on the eve of China's National Day on September 30, 2021."

Below is a screenshot of the photo shared in false posts (left) and AFP's photo (right):

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Screenshot of the photo shared in false posts (left) and AFP's photo (right)

Various news outlets published the photo, including Britain's The Guardian and US radio station KUER-FM, in reports which dated the picture as September 30, 2021 (archived links here and here).

Baker took various photos of Xi at the event, including here and here.

Moreover, the photo shows the composition of the seven-member Standing Committee, the country's top decision making body, during the previous 19th Central Politburo, which included then-premier Li Keqiang and then-National People's Congress Chairman Li Zhanshu (archived link).

Xi reshuffled the Standing Committee in October 2022 to stack it with four allies, including two of his former secretaries. Li Keqiang was replaced as premier by then-Shanghai Party boss Li Qiang (archived link).