Most people would wish for good luck on their birthdays. However, for Xi, who turned 67 this year, that wish seems to have fallen short.

Japanese online magazine Modern Commerce compiled a list of unfortunate events that had happened on Xi’s birthday on June 15 over the years. At the top of the list was the defeat of the Chinese soccer team in a friendly match with Thailand in 2013.

China lost 1-5 and many fans considered the match a humiliating defeat because Chinese top players were only up against Thailand’s second-tier athletes.

In 2015, the stock markets in Shanghai and Shenzhen took a tumble on Xi’s birthday. It kicked off a three-week downward spiral for the Shanghai Stock Exchange, which ended with a total drop of 30%. This came after the Shanghai stock market had hit an eight-year high just three days before.

A year later, Xi’s birthday was overshadowed by a commentary in the state-run mouthpiece China Daily. The article implied that Xi was too arrogant to be a good leader although his name was not explicitly mentioned.

In 2018, Xi’s birthday marked the beginning of the trade war between the United States and China as President Donald Trump announced a 25% levy on US$50 billion worth of Chinese goods.

This year, the day was marred by the new wave of coronavirus cases in Beijing. The capital was in a “wartime emergency mode” on Monday, officials declared, as it reported 106 new cases over the past five days.

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