China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang officially discontinued

China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang officially discontinued

China changes its foreign minister: The "disappeared" incumbent Qin Gang has been officially discontinued for weeks. The speculation about the possible background continues.

After weeks of disappearance, the Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was officially removed from his office, as Chinese state media report. Qin Gang had not appeared publicly for some time. The constant committee of the People's Congress voted to stop the Foreign Minister and to use Yi again as his successor. A reason for the change was not announced.

Qin Gang took over the position of the Foreign Minister in December 2022 and had previously been an ambassador in the USA and deputy foreign minister of China.

Since his last public appearance on June 25, where he met the Russian Vice Foreign Minister Andrej Rudenko, Qin Gang has no longer appeared publicly. Planned dates, such as a meeting with the EU foreign commissioner Josep Borrell or participation in the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' meeting, were canceled. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Qin Gang could not participate for health reasons. However, speculation about possible other reasons for his "disappear", including rumors about an affair of the married politician with a television presenter.

The disappearance of high -ranking civil servants, celebrities and business people is not an isolated case in China. Often it later turns out that they were involved in investigations or other controversy. A known case is that of the former Chinese Interpol leader Meng Hongwei, who disappeared in 2018 during a trip to China and was later sentenced to a long prison sentence for bribes.

In 2021, the case of the Chinese ex-tennis player Peng Shuai caused a stir worldwide. In November she published a contribution on the Internet in which she claimed a sexual assault through a rank -high communist party official. The post was deleted and Peng Shuai was no longer seen in public until she distanced herself from her statement in December.

The background to the change of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang remains unclear, but speculation about possible reasons will continue to be discussed.