• 11/26/2024

Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang removed from office: state media

Hong Kong Free Press

qin gang removed

China’s foreign minister Qin Gang was removed from office on Tuesday, state media reported, after not being seen in the public eye for a month.

“China’s top legislature voted to appoint Wang Yi as foreign minister… as it convened a session on Tuesday,” state media outlet Xinhua said.

China's now-former Foreign Minister Qin Gang
China’s now-former Foreign Minister Qin Gang waves as he arrives for a press conference at the Media Center of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing on March 7, 2023.File photo: Noel Celis/AFP.

“Qin Gang was removed from the post of foreign minister.”

The report did not give a reason for Qin’s removal but said President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to enact the decision.

Qin had been seen as a confidant of Xi and many analysts attributed his recent fast rise through the diplomatic ranks to their relationship.

Wang Yi
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Photo: United Nations/Loey Felipe.

China has remained tight-lipped for weeks about the fate of Qin, who has not been seen in public since June 25 when he met Russia’s deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko in Beijing.

His absence sparked a storm of speculation that he had been removed from office or was subject to an official investigation.

Qin’s duties had lately been taken on by China’s top diplomat Wang, who leads the ruling Communist Party’s foreign policy and outranks Qin in the government hierarchy.

Qin had replaced Wang as foreign minister in December last year.

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https://hongkongfp.com/2023/07/25/breaking-chinese-foreign-minister-qin-gang-removed-from-office-state-media/