China abruptly ‘removes’ Foreign Minister Qin Gang amid speculations over his one-month absence, replacing him with his predecessor, Wang Yi
State media says Qin was "removed from the post of foreign" minister and that President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to enact the decision.
Qin, who served as China's ambassador to the United States from 2021 to January of this year, had been seen as a confidant of Xi and many analysts attributed his recent fast rise through the diplomatic ranks to their relationship. "I would not be surprised if the reason given is health-related, no matter what is going on since anything discipline-related would reflect badly on Xi and his decision to break protocol to promote Qin," analyst Bill Bishop wrote in his Sinocism newsletter before the announcement.
"A balance needs to be struck between maintaining the situation and respecting the public's right to know," he said. Qin, who is married with one son, visited various countries as foreign minister including several in Africa in January and in Europe in May where he pushed China's call for a ceasefire in Ukraine, a tough sell given that China has been criticised for not condemning Russia's invasion.
After disappearing from the public, his ministry said he was off work for unspecified health reasons, but the lack of detailed information further fueled questions. As ministry spokesman, he stood out for being one of the first diplomats to speak aggressively in defence of China's increasingly assertive foreign policy, a style that became known as"wolf warrior" diplomacy.
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