Wang Yi, head of foreign affairs of the Communist Party, was appointed as China’s new foreign minister on Tuesday.
China is dismissed Qin Gang’s from the position of foreign minister less than seven months after his appointment. The position will be taken over by the head of foreign affairs of the Communist Party Wang Yi.
Qin’s prolonged disappearance from the public eye and the Foreign Ministry’s silence on the matter have sparked speculation about, among other things, the foreign minister’s health.
This is all that is known about Qi’s disappearance now.
Who is Qin Gang?
Former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin is known as a long-time diplomat and leader of China of Xi Jinping as a close assistant.
The Chinese Communist Party appointed Qin as foreign minister last December. Before that, Qin served as China’s ambassador to the United States for a long time.
Observers of Chinese politics were surprised by Qin’s appointment as foreign minister last year. However, the appointment was seen as a sign of Xi’s confidence in the diplomat.
As foreign minister, Qin has, among other things, called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and tried to build working relations with the United States. In June, Qin met with Foreign Minister Antony Blinken. The negotiations were described as constructive.
When did Qin disappear?
Qin, 57, was last seen on June 25 in Beijing, where he met with diplomats from Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Russia.
In his last public appearance, Qin was seen as Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko with.
Qin was scheduled to attend the annual meeting of foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Indonesia in July.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry acknowledged the foreign minister’s absence for “health reasons”.
Who replaced Qin?
The Chinese Communist regime has not disclosed the reason for Qin’s dismissal.
China’s new foreign minister, Wang, also served as China’s foreign minister from 2013 to 2022.
The new foreign minister was appointed at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People’s Congress on Tuesday.
The meeting was suddenly announced on Monday. The announcement was remarkable because it did not follow the party’s usual protocol.
In what situation did the foreign minister change?
China, which is recovering from the corona pandemic, has recently been actively focused on building diplomatic relations.
Ex-reporter of a Chinese newspaper living in the United States Deng Yuwentold for CNNthat the sudden disappearance of a high-ranking official from the public is often accompanied by a loss of status in the eyes of the political leadership or an incomplete investigation.
Sources: AFP, Reuters
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