25-7-2023 (BEIJING) Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who was appointed in December 2022, has been removed from his post after just seven months. The 57-year-old, once seen as close to President Xi Jinping, disappeared from public view, sparking weeks of confusion before being replaced by his predecessor, Wang Yi, 69.
Qin’s meteoric rise to the top was attributed partly to his closeness to Xi. He was previously the US ambassador and twice foreign ministry spokesman, known for his “wolf warrior” diplomacy. As chief protocol officer between 2014 and 2018, he oversaw many of Xi’s interactions with foreign leaders.
Analysts believed Qin was likely appointed foreign minister to help stabilise relations with the US. He held talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and officials from Sri Lanka, Russia and Vietnam, but then began an unexplained public absence.
His ministry said Qin was unable to attend a meeting in Indonesia for unspecified “health reasons”. It declined further comment on his status, creating an information vacuum in which rumours swirled. Wang, who was promoted to the politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, filled in for him during his absence.
After becoming foreign minister, Qin’s comments on hot-button issues such as Taiwan and China’s relations with Russia did not diverge from those of his predecessor. In his first comments as foreign minister, Qin said China’s diplomacy would offer “Chinese wisdom, Chinese initiatives and Chinese strength” in solving challenges common to all mankind.
In an essay published in American bi-monthly magazine The National Interest late last year, Qin reiterated that China-US relations were not a “zero-sum game” with one side gaining at the expense of the other.
