China removes foreign minister
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China removes foreign minister

Qin Gang replaced by predecessor after mysterious month-long absence from public eye

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (right) walks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the latter’s visit to Beijing on June 18. A week later Mr Qin vanished from the public eye and has not been seen since. (Photo: Reuters)
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang (right) walks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during the latter’s visit to Beijing on June 18. A week later Mr Qin vanished from the public eye and has not been seen since. (Photo: Reuters)

BEIJING: Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang was removed from office on Tuesday, state media reported, after not being seen in public for a month.

“China’s top legislature voted to appoint Wang Yi as foreign minister … as it convened a session on Tuesday,” the state media outlet Xinhua said.

“Qin Gang was removed from the post of foreign minister.”

The report did not give a reason for Qin’s removal but said President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to enact the decision.

Qin had been seen as a confidant of Xi and many analysts attributed his recent fast rise through the diplomatic ranks to their relationship.

China has remained tight-lipped for weeks about the fate of Qin, who has not been seen in public since June 25 when he met Russian deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko in Beijing.

His absence sparked a storm of speculation that he had been removed from office or was subject to an official investigation.

Qin’s duties had lately been taken on by China’s top diplomat Wang, who leads the ruling Communist Party’s foreign policy and outranks Qin in the government hierarchy.

Qin had replaced Wang as foreign minister in December last year.

The report did not specify if Wang’s surprise return was permanent. 

Qin’s removal ends a month of speculation over his official status. 

“China wants to avoid embarrassment of continuously having Wang Yi appearing in foreign minister-level meetings without having an appropriate title,” said Wen-ti Sung, non-resident fellow at the Global China Hub in the Atlantic Council.

The Foreign Ministry had previously said Qin was suffering from a “physical condition”, an explanation it has not repeated.

Media in Taiwan, meanwhile, had been pointing to a suspected extramarital affair, so speculation about his downfall had been rife.

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