2023-07-18 07:36:33
4 hours ago
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The 57-year-old Qin Gang is a career diplomat. He is regarded as an official trusted by Xi Jinping. He was appointed as foreign minister in December last year and was promoted to concurrently serve as a state councilor at the vice premier level in March this year.
China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang has not been seen in public for three consecutive weeks, absent from a series of diplomatic events. The rare occasion in China’s opaque political scene has drawn attention and fueled speculation on social media regarding his whereregardings.
The 57-year-old Qin Gang is a career diplomat. He is regarded as an official trusted by Xi Jinping. He was appointed as foreign minister in December last year and was promoted to concurrently serve as a state councilor at the vice premier level in March this year.
Qin Gang was last seen in public on June 25, when he met with officials from Sri Lanka, Russia and Vietnam in Beijing.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesman told reporters on July 11 that Qin Gang might not attend the ASEAN meeting in Indonesia due to “health reasons”. Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, who is more senior than him, attended the meeting on his behalf.
However, this statement by the spokesperson was not included in the transcript of the press conference on the website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs that day. China’s foreign ministry typically omits content it deems sensitive in the memorandum.
On Monday (July 17), Chinese President Xi Jinping met with former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Beijing. State television footage showed Qin Gang once more absent from the foreign affairs event, which is usually accompanied by foreign ministers. Wang Yi, Vice Foreign Minister, Assistant Minister and others attended the event.
When Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was questioned by foreign media reporters regarding Qin Gang’s situation on the same day, she said that she “has no information to provide”, adding that China’s diplomatic activities are going on as usual.
Qin Gang’s prolonged “disappearance” has sparked speculation among analysts and netizens regarding his health and condition. The sudden disappearance of a senior Chinese official from public view is usually seen as a sign of potential trouble, including for health reasons or a political crisis.
Precedents and consequences of the “disappearance” of CCP officials
In February 2012, the then deputy mayor of Chongqing, Wang Lijun, suddenly entered the U.S. Consulate General in Chengdu because of his political struggle with the then party secretary, Bo Xilai. Receive vacation-style treatment.” This incident finally triggered a major earthquake that shook Chinese official circles. Bo Xilai was double fired and sentenced to life imprisonment. Wang Lijun was also dismissed and sentenced to 15 years in prison.
In September of the same year, then-incoming Vice President Xi Jinping suddenly disappeared from public view for two weeks, missing a number of scheduled meetings, including with then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Some analysts speculated that it was caused by health reasons, but officials have not explained the incident to this day.
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In 2021, Qin Gang was appointed ambassador to the United States. At that time, Sino-US relations were at a low point. Qin Gang was interviewed by the US media many times, and frequently attended civil activities, trying to present a relatively soft and friendly image.
There are also some high-level officials who have been officially declared “lost” following “disappearing” for a long time and are under investigation, such as Meng Hongwei, the then chairman of Interpol and the Vice Minister of Public Security of China in 2018.
Although there is currently no evidence that the authorities’ claim of “health reasons” is not credible, this vague explanation has aroused the curiosity of many people.
“Qin Gang disappears” attracts attention
On Baidu, China’s largest search engine, the search index for the keyword “Qin Gang” has increased by 50 times month-on-month in the past seven days. Baidu limits its search index to other, more senior political leaders.
Speculation has also circulated widely on social media, including unconfirmed rumors regarding his personal life. BBC Chinese has not been able to confirm the rumors.
Qin Gang has served in China’s diplomatic system for more than 30 years. According to the public information of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he has been stationed in London three times, serving as a counselor and minister at the Chinese embassy in the UK.
His well-known experience is that he served as the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs twice in 2005 and 2011, during which he was responsible for hosting routine press conferences. He was one of the first diplomats to speak sharply in defense of China, and often debates with reporters at press conferences.
In 2015, he became the director of the Protocol Department, responsible for China’s foreign activities and ceremonial affairs, and in 2018 he was promoted to be the youngest deputy foreign minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in charge of European affairs, news, and protocol affairs.
image copyrightChina News Service
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Qin Gang went to the United States to serve as China’s ambassador during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was promoted to China’s foreign minister at the end of the pandemic.
In 2021, he was appointed ambassador to the United States. At that time, Sino-US relations were at a low point. Qin Gang was interviewed by the US media many times, and frequently attended civil activities, trying to present a relatively soft and friendly image.
At the end of the following year, he was promoted to Minister of Foreign Affairs, such a rapid promotion is considered an important evidence that he has Xi Jinping’s trust.
Qin Gang’s absence is all the more noteworthy in light of China’s many important foreign affairs events recently, including visits to China by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and climate envoy John Kerry.
China also reportedly canceled a visit to Beijing by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in early July, without giving a reason.
The European Union’s foreign affairs spokesman said the expected date told by Beijing was “no longer achievable”. China’s foreign ministry said he was welcome to visit China “at an early date that is convenient for both sides”.
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