Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was dismissed from his position and succeeded by former Foreign Minister Wang Yi, state media reported on Tuesday.
The reports did not disclose any specific reasons for Qin’s removal, but it was mentioned that President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to formalize this decision.
State media outlet Xinhua reported that during a session convened on Tuesday, China’s top legislature voted to appoint Wang Yi as the new foreign minister. Simultaneously, it was announced that Qin Gang had been removed from the post of foreign minister.
Qin Gang ‘missing’ since June 25
Since his meeting with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko in Beijing on June 25, Qin has not made any public appearances. Notably, he was absent from an international diplomatic summit in Indonesia, and China’s Foreign Affairs Ministry attributed his nonattendance to unspecified health issues.
The lack of clarity surrounding Qin’s current location has sparked speculation regarding potential disagreements with Chinese leadership or the possibility of him being under official investigation. On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry asserted that it had no information to disclose regarding Qin’s status.
It is important to note that China’s Communist Party is well-known for its opaque approach to internal personnel matters, and media freedom and free speech are severely restricted in the country.
Wang Yi returns as Chinese foreign minister
Having held the position of the leader of the Communist Party’s foreign affairs commission, Wang holds a higher rank than Qin in China’s government hierarchy. For the past month, Wang has been handling Qin’s responsibilities. Wang previously served as the foreign minister from 2018 to 2022.
This reshuffling in diplomatic roles comes amidst efforts by China and the US to mend their strained relationship, which has been marked by disagreements on various issues such as trade, human rights, technology, Taiwan, and territorial claims made by Beijing. In recent times, senior Chinese diplomats have also visited European countries in an attempt to improve relations.
However, Qin’s absence at the top of China’s foreign ministry has created a void. As a consequence, the planned visit to Beijing by the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, had to be called off. Furthermore, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly also postponed his visit to Beijing this month due to Qin’s unavailability, as reported by Bloomberg on Friday.
