BEIJING – China chose seasoned diplomat Wang Yi as its new foreign minister on Tuesday, ousting previous rising star Qin Gang after a mystery one-month leave from office only half a year into the post.
Qin, 57, a former advisor to President Xi Jinping and ambassador to the US, assumed control of the ministry in December but hasn’t been seen in the street since June 25, when he hosted foreign diplomats in Beijing.
The ministry stated that he was absent from work due to health issues but provided no other information, causing rumours and bringing attention to the frequent opacity surrounding China’s Communist leadership and decision-making.
The 69-year-old Wang served in the position from 2013 to 2022 while relations with the rival powerhouse United States deteriorated to what Beijing called a “all-time low”.
He has stood in for Qin throughout his absence, and this week he was in Johannesburg, South Africa, to represent China at a gathering of national security advisers from the BRICS nations.
China’s foreign ministry did not comment and the state media did not cover the reason why Qin was fired.
The emergence of Qin, one of China’s youngest foreign ministers, was ascribed in part by experts to his proximity to Xi. Between 2006 and 2014, he served twice as foreign ministry’s spokesperson. From 2014 to 2018, he served as the top protocol officer, managing many of Xi’s interactions with the world leaders.
After a time of unusually public animosity between the US and Chinese leaders, he left for Washington to assume the position of ambassador in July 2021.
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