Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who has not appeared publicly for a month, has been removed from office. As the state broadcaster CCTV reported, the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress voted in favor of it at a meeting on Tuesday. So far, no reason has been given for the step. His predecessor Wang Yi is to take over the post again.
In recent weeks, there has been much speculation about Qin’s fate. The 57-year-old had his last public appointment in Beijing on June 25. Since then he has not been seen again and has been absent from important foreign policy appointments. China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, who is above Qin in the hierarchy, had deputized for the foreign minister on several occasions.
Initially, a spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said when asked that Qin was unable to attend for health reasons. However, there was also speculation about a possible extramarital affair. When asked about this, a spokeswoman for the State Department said that she had “no information” about it.
Qin only took up his post as foreign minister in December and was considered a close confidant of state and party leader Xi Jinping. Before that, Qin was stationed at the Chinese Embassy in Washington for less than two years. He is best known for his role as spokesman for the State Department. Qin repeatedly attacked other states or journalists at press conferences, setting the tone for a new generation of diplomats who are now loudly proclaiming Beijing’s new self-confidence.
Disappearances of senior officials, celebrities and businessmen are a common occurrence in China. It often turns out later that they were involved in investigations or other controversies. One of the most well-known cases in recent years is the former Chinese Interpol boss Meng Hongwei, who disappeared on a trip to China in 2018. Two years later, a Chinese court sentenced him to a long prison term for accepting bribes.