China’s foreign minister removed following unexplained monthlong absence.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang Replaced After Mysterious Absence
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, a trusted aide of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, has been ousted from his position and replaced by his predecessor after a weekslong unexplained absence.
Qin, 57, had only been appointed foreign minister in December after serving as China’s ambassador to Washington. However, no public reason has been provided for his removal.
Wang Yi Assumes Old Position as Top Diplomat
Wang Yi, who previously held the position of foreign minister from 2013 through 2022, will now assume his old role. Before being named as the replacement, he served as the director of the foreign affairs arm of the ruling Communist Party, making him China’s top diplomat.
Qin’s absence from public view began on June 25, following talks with counterparts from Russia, Vietnam, and Sri Lanka. His last appearance in state media coincided with his meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, who visited Beijing shortly after the Wagner mercenary group’s attempted mutiny.
Beijing has remained tight-lipped about Qin’s status, even after he missed a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Indonesia earlier this month. Chinese Foreign Ministry officials cited “health reasons” for his absence from the summit.
When asked about Qin, Chinese Ambassador Xie Feng deferred to the Foreign Ministry spokesman’s previous briefing on the matter.
Source: The Washington Examiner
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
Now loading...