28-9-2023 (BEIJING) Startling revelations have emerged surrounding the ousting of China’s former foreign minister, Qin Gang, implicating him in an extramarital affair with a prominent Chinese television presenter, further shrouding the circumstances of his abrupt removal from office.
According to the Financial Times, which cited multiple anonymous sources, Qin Gang, 57, was engaged in a romantic relationship with Fu Xiaotian, a 40-year-old former host of a flagship talk show on Hong Kong-based broadcaster Phoenix TV. Fu reportedly gave birth to a child through surrogacy in the United States last year, a development that has attracted significant attention. Notably, the FT report did not disclose the identity of the child’s father.
Additional sources, acquaintances of Fu, corroborated this account. They were aware of Fu having a child through surrogacy in the US, though the father’s identity remained unknown to them.
The FT’s report contributes to the growing mystery surrounding Qin Gang, who was previously a trusted aide to Chinese leader Xi Jinping but suddenly vanished from public view for a month before being removed from his position as foreign minister in July. Despite widespread curiosity, Beijing has remained silent on the matter, evading questions about Qin’s status during foreign press briefings.
In response to the recent report, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson asserted that the matter did not pertain to diplomatic concerns.
Efforts to obtain comments from China’s State Council Information Office and Phoenix TV regarding this issue have been made by CNN. However, neither Qin Gang nor Fu Xiaotian, nor their representatives, could be reached. It is worth noting that Fu ceased her activity on WeChat, a popular social media platform, in May after returning to China from the United States in April, as confirmed by sources close to her.
Disappearing from public view for an extended period, especially while under investigation, is not unusual for public figures in China, spanning officials, business magnates, and celebrities. Their fate often remains concealed until the authorities decide to reveal the outcome of any investigation.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that internal Communist Party sources informed Chinese officials that Qin was found to have engaged in an extramarital affair resulting in the birth of a child in the United States during his tenure as China’s envoy to Washington. This revelation allegedly formed the basis for his dismissal, with “lifestyle issues” being the official reason for his removal, a term frequently employed to allude to sexual misconduct. The names of the woman and child were deliberately withheld from officials.
An investigation has been initiated to ascertain whether the alleged affair and other actions by Qin might have posed any threat to China’s national security, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Qin Gang’s official government profile stated that he was “married with a son.”
Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington, noted that while extramarital affairs are not uncommon in Chinese politics, few instances are known of high-ranking officials fathering children from such relationships. She emphasized that if Qin’s removal was indeed related to the alleged affair, it would represent a unique case, as no Chinese leader at the national level has been known to lose their position solely due to such conduct.
The affair rumours concerning Qin and Fu first surfaced on China’s heavily censored social media platforms several months ago, coinciding with the diplomat’s unexplained disappearance in June. Fu, the television anchor, became famous for hosting Phoenix TV’s program “Talk with World Leaders,” in which she interviewed various political and business luminaries worldwide, including Qin during his service as the Chinese ambassador to Washington.
Reports indicate that Fu and Qin crossed paths in London around 2010 when she commenced her job at Phoenix TV’s London bureau shortly after graduating from a master’s program at Cambridge University, while Qin held the role of China’s chargé d’affaires in the UK. It was almost a decade later, in Beijing, that their relationship deepened, according to sources close to Fu.
Shortly after Qin’s appointment as foreign minister in December of the previous year, he reduced contact with Fu, as reported by the Financial Times. This change in dynamics led Fu to drop hints about their relationship on social media.
Following Qin’s disappearance, internet users in China scrutinized Fu’s posts on Weibo, where she has over a million followers. In March, coinciding with Qin’s appointment as a state councillor at China’s annual parliamentary meeting, Fu posted a picture of her baby for the first time, captioned with “A victorious conclusion.” In a previous post the same day, she disclosed that the child’s father was not American and that both she and her child would be returning to China shortly.
Questions surrounding Fu’s apparent affluence have fuelled additional speculation. Her Weibo account showcased photos of private jet travels and an opulent residence in a well-to-do coastal Californian suburb. Given her decade-long career in journalism, inquiries have arisen about how she financed such a lavish lifestyle.
One acquaintance of Fu disclosed that her mother worked as a teacher in their hometown of Chongqing, while her father held a managerial position at a production facility.
Public records revealed that Fu’s coastal residence in Orange County, California, was listed for rent at $55,000 per month in 2021, touting “8 bedrooms and 9.5 bathrooms,” along with an outdoor swimming pool and jacuzzi.
Yun Sun from the Stimson Center remarked on the questions concerning Fu’s background, asserting that it was unusual for a journalist to amass such wealth and wield such influence.
Fu received the Order of the Star of Italy at the Italian embassy in Beijing on her birthday in 2017, according to her employer Phoenix TV’s news website. Furthermore, in 2016, her alma mater, Churchill College at Cambridge University, dedicated a garden in her name after she made a donation to the institution.
A press release from Churchill College in 2016 noted that Fu had made the donation soon after her graduation, and she was described as a successful alumna contributing to the facility. However, the exact sum of her donation remained confidential, as revealed by Churchill College in response to a freedom of information request by CNN. The donation was made in several installments over five years, based on a memorandum of understanding between Fu and the college.
Churchill College expressed ongoing concern for Fu’s well-being and that of her child in a statement to CNN.
Fu’s last post on Weibo, shared during the early hours of April 11 Beijing time, marked her journey back to China. Flight records obtained by CNN revealed that she had boarded a Gulfstream G650 private jet in Los Angeles on April 10, making a brief stopover for refuelling at Anchorage International Airport in Alaska, before ultimately landing in Beijing on April 11.
During the layover in Alaska, Fu reminisced about a previous flight more than a year ago, which had taken her to Washington, D.C. This particular trip led to her interviewing Qin Gang.
Flight records disclosed an unusual stopover in Miami on March 18, 2022, during another journey between Los Angeles and Washington. On this occasion, the plane remained on the ground for approximately an hour before continuing its flight.
Fu’s Weibo posts indicated that this trip was for a work-related interview, a fact she had been unaware of at the time, marking her final appearance on “Talk with World Leaders.” After a year, she was again aboard the plane, departing from Los Angeles, but this time with her son, Er-Kin. Her post concluded with the destination simply noted as “onwards.”
Her last post on WeChat, another Chinese social media platform, was shared on May 21, as confirmed by sources acquainted with Fu.
