China replaces Foreign Minister Qin Gang after mysterious absence

(Patria) - China on Tuesday appointed veteran diplomat Wang Yi as its new foreign minister, replacing former rising star Qin Gang after a mysterious month-long absence from duty after barely half a year in office, Reuters reported.

Qin (57), a former aide to President Xi Jinping and ambassador to the United States,
took over the ministry in December but has not been seen in public since June 25.

The ministry stated he was removed from his post for health reasons, without providing details, sparking speculation and drawing attention to the secrecy that often surrounds Chinese
Communist leadership and decision-making.

Qin's successor, Wang (69), was also his predecessor, holding the position from 2013 to 2022. He replaced Qin during his absence and represented China this week at a meeting of BRICS national security advisors in Johannesburg.

Chinese state media did not say why Qin was dismissed. Xi signed a presidential order to make the decision effective, the state news agency Xinhua reported.

“The lack of explanation raises more questions than it answers,” said Ja Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore.

“It also highlights the opacity and unpredictability, even arbitrariness, in the current political system,” he added.

Qin's apparent disappearance was not the first unexplained absence of a Chinese official. Industry Minister Xiao Yaqing disappeared from public view for nearly a month last year before it was revealed that he was under investigation for corruption.

Qin was one of China's youngest foreign ministers, enjoying a meteoric rise that analysts attribute partly to his closeness to Xi. He was twice the foreign ministry's spokesperson, between 2006 and 2014, and chief
of protocol from 2014-2018, overseeing many of Xi's interactions with foreign leaders.

He was sent to Washington as ambassador in July 2021, following a period of unusual public confrontation between US and Chinese officials. Qin's political future remains unclear.