Those expecting a song from U.S. investor Warren Buffett this Chinese New Year are likely to be disappointed.

Mr. Buffett has recorded a greeting that will appear on the website of China's annual Chinese New Year show later this month, according to organizers. But the greeting won't include a song, said Wu Zheng, co-chairman of Sun Media Investment Holding Ltd., a Chinese media company, and the person who connected the U.S. billionaire with the show's Chinese producers.

That's at odds with what Wang Pingjiu, a production executive for the broadcast, told a press conference on Thursday. In his statement, which was repeated by the state-run Xinhua news agency, Mr. Wang said Mr. Buffett would sing a song and play guitar in the online version of this year's Spring Festival gala. 'We all know that Buffett is good at investment, but few knew he also did well in singing,' Mr. Wang said, according to Xinhua.

The statement was broadly picked up by foreign media. It also set off a strong reaction on China's Sina Weibo microblogging service because Mr. Buffett is well-known in increasinglywealthy China, which prizes investment know-how.

The story appeared consistent with Mr. Buffett's previous behavior. The billionaire has long been known, including a cameo turn as '80s rocker Axl Rose in a 2010 video made by Geico Corp., the insurer owned by his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. investment vehicle. He's also no stranger to the Chinese Internet, having once lauded a Chinese suit maker in a video posted on its website.

But Xinhua's report raised a few questions among Buffett watchers. For one, Mr. Buffett is a ukulele enthusiast but doesn't appear to play guitar. Mr. Wang also declined to offer specifics on Mr. Buffett's appearance, including whether it would also appear on the Spring Festival television special, a four- to five-hour series of songs and skits produced by the state broadcaster that's watched by 700 million people in China and might be the world's most-viewed TV show.