A month after his predecessor went “missing” from his duties, Chinese official Wang Yi was appointed foreign minister on Tuesday. His absence had previously been explained by health issues, but rumors that he had been in trouble with the government or implicated in a number of scandals were common. On June 25, Qin made his final public appearance at a meeting with Ali Sabry, the foreign minister of Sri Lanka, in Beijing.
The decision became effective through a presidential decree that was signed by Xi Jinping, according to state news agency Xinhua. Despite enjoying a spectacular rise, Qin was removed from office, according to local media sources.
In mid-July, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin stated during a daily briefing that State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang were unable to attend this series of meetings of foreign ministers owing to health issues. However, the official briefing transcript omitted this information.
The Foreign Ministry has not issued a follow-up statement or provided an explanation in the weeks since.
When he ‘disappeared’ last month, Qin—whom President Xi considers to be a close aide—was in the midst of a swift ascent to power. One of China’s youngest foreign ministers, he served as an ambassador to the United States before taking over the position in December.
He oversaw many of Xi’s interactions with foreign leaders while serving as the chief protocol officer and as the foreign ministry’s spokesperson twice. In July 2021, following a period of unusually public animosity between US and Chinese authorities, he had left for Washington as ambassador.
It is not the first time that Chinese officials have vanished without explanation. Before it was disclosed that the industry minister Xiao Yaqing was under investigation for corruption last year, he vanished from the public eye for about a month.
A wave of mostly unfounded claims regarding his location has also been fanned by the lack of an explanation. Some people think he has mistreated the leadership, and there are even suspicions that he had an affair with a prominent television host.
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