Communist party leaders have reportedly fled to a secret resort in Beijing to avoid catching the coronavirus while the deadly disease swept across China, a report has revealed.

It is believed that some of China’s top officials retreated to the Jade Spring Hill – a tightly guarded hideaway - at the height of the virus outbreak, according to a prominent Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao.

The Jade Spring Hill, located in north-western Beijing, is a villa complex for the Central Military Commission that is inaccessible for the general public. Several party leaders, including President Xi Jinping, allegedly have homes there.

Communist party leaders have reportedly fled to a secret resort in Beijing to avoid catching the coronavirus while the deadly disease swept across China, a report has revealed. Chinese President Xi Jinping is pictured visiting the north-western city Xi'an on April 22

It is believed that some of China’s top officials were laying low in the Jade Spring Hill – a former imperial palace - at the height of the virus outbreak, according to a prominent Hong Kong newspaper Ming Pao. FILE: A picture from October 19, 2006, shows the Jade Peak Pagoda standing on Jade Spring Hill above Kunming Lake in the Summer Palace complex

Jade Spring Hill: The reserved villa compound for China's top leaders Based in the north-west of Beijing, Jade Spring Hill is a villa complex for China’s Central Military Commission (CMC) and closed to the public. The scenic spot had been used by ancient Chinese emperors as a summer palace since 12th century. It is also located to the west of the Summer Palace, an imperial garden in the Qing dynasty. During the Qing Dynansty, royals were using the spring water of Jade Spring Hill as drinking water after it was praised by Emperor Qianlong as ‘the first spring water in the world’. After the establishment of the Communist government, Jade Spring Hill has been serving as a resort compound for party officials. Several of the most recent General Secretaries of the Communist Party of China, including Xi Jinping, reportedly own properties in Jade Spring Hill. Advertisement

The popular Chinese-language newspaper suggested that key government members had left the central leadership compound of Zhongnanhai – the Chinese equivalent of White House – and moved to the secret resort during the coronavirus epidemic to avoid contracting the killer bug.

Zhongnanhai, the headquarters for the Communist government, is the formal residence for senior party members and their families.

The Jade Spring Hill, along with Zhongnanhai, are considered as Beijing's 'top two forbidden areas'.

The tightly guarded hideaway was also billed as China's 'political back garden', according to Chinese media Caijing.

Radio International France also echoed Ming Pao's revelation by asserting that the villa complex is surrounded by strict security.

Chairman Mao Zedong also spent some time living and working in Jade Spring Hill after establishing the Communist government in China, reports suggest.

The revelations have not been confirmed by Chinese state media and officials have not responded to any of these claims.

The Jade Spring Hill, located in north-western Beijing, is a villa complex for the Central Military Commission that is inaccessible for the general public. The file photo shows the Pavilion of Bright Scenery with Jade Peak Pagoda on Kunming Lake Summer Palace in Beijing

Several party leaders, including President Xi Jinping, allegedly have homes in Jade Spring Hill. The file picture taken on August 3 shows the view over Kunming Lake towards a stone bridge and Jade Spring Hill with Jade Peak Pagoda at the Summer Palace

The country where the coronavirus pandemic began has faced global outrage after China has been criticised for a lack of transparency on its handling of the COVID-19 crisis.

It comes as Downing Street has removed China from the list of other countries it uses to compare the spread of the coronavirus - in a snub to Beijing amid widespread anger at the nation's apparent cover-up.

It is another diplomatic attack on China in the wake of Donald Trump's accusations that the World Health Organisation (WHO) colluded with Beijing to downplay its coronavirus outbreak, and global disbelief over China's claim to have only 4,636 dead from the virus.

In the graph shared on Friday (pictured), China had been removed from the graph that showed the number of deaths in different countries around the world from the coronavirus

The people of Wuhan believe the death toll in their city that was the epicentre of the outbreak is 42,000 - not the 3,182 claimed by China.

In America, the Trump administration is ramping up its attacks on Beijing - blaming President Xi's government for letting COVID-19 spread across the globe unchecked while the Communist regime saved face.

Trump is backed by large numbers of Republican politicians amid claims from the US intelligence community that the virus escaped from a lab near Wuhan in an accident involving an intern.