Qin Gang, formerly China’s ambassador to the USA, was appointed foreign minister of China less than seven months ago, replacing Wang Yi, who had been set to retire. But ever since 25 June, Qin has not been seen at any official public engagement. Indeed, he has not been seen in public at all. Today, in an unexplained move, China formally removed Qin Gang from his post and replace him with Wang Yi (ref. 1).
The last thing Qin did was meet with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko in Beijing. A few days earlier, Qin met with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, also in Beijing.
The government’s silence has fuelled speculation among Chinese netizens. Everything from a power struggle concerning the direction of China’s foreign policy, to a criminal corruption investigation, to an extramarital affair with a journalist working for Hong Kong based “Phoenix TV” that has resulted in an American born child has been suggested.
New information update 29 October 2024:
Qin Gang was last seen on 25 June 2023. Around that time, Lt. Gen. Yi Yuchao, the commander of China’s PLA Rocket Force was also arrested (ref. 2). Subsequently, the entire PLA Rocket Force was investigated by Chinese counter espionage. Apparently, Russia’s Vladimir Putin personally disclosed to Xi Jinping that Qin Gang played a role in America’s CIA penetrating China’s PLA Rocket Force (ref. 2), which is responsible for China’s nuclear weapons as well as emerging missile technology. By December 2023, at least 70 Chinese commanders and soldiers had been arrested. For his part, some say, Qin was executed or imprisoned for life (ref. 2), implying he was also guilty of treachery. Others suggest, Qin was allowed to leave public life quietly (ref. 3), implying he was merely negligent or something like that. At any rate, Qin has not been seen publicly ever since. Qin was handpicked by Xi Jinping, and was once touted as a promising official of the CCP.
References:
1. Kathleen Calderwood (26 July 2023), “China replaces missing foreign minister Qin Gang with Wang Yi”, abc.net.au
2. Correspondent (14 December 2023), “At least 70 arrested in China Rocket Force Scandal”, asiasentinel.com
3. Laurie Chen and Jessie Pang (18 July 2024), “China’s Communist Party removes ex-foreign, defence ministers from top body”, reuters.com