Photo: REUTERS/copyright
Is he sick or just another disgraced Chinese politician?
For weeks, within the political and economic spheres of China, there have been numerous speculations about the whereabouts of the foreign minister of that country.
And this Tuesday, exactly one month after his last public appearance, it was announced that the experienced politician had been dismissed. He lasted less than seven months in office.
Qin, who has been described as one of President Xi Jinping’s closest associates, was last seen in public on June 25in the framework of a meeting with their counterparts from Russia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
Qin’s prolonged disappearance and official silence on the matter have fueled speculation.
While his removal ends weeks of confusion, it also leaves many Questions without answer.
The Chinese government did not give any reason to explain their removal.
Replaced by a familiar face
According to information from the state news agency xinhuaChinese lawmakers voted to appoint wang yi as the new foreign minister.
President Xi signed the decree authorizing Qin’s removal.
The new chancellor wang yi, is a familiar face. She held the position from 2018 to 2022.
Under the Chinese Communist Party system, foreign policy is devised by a high-level official, who then directs the foreign minister to implement it.
A tough-talking diplomat
Qin had been appointed as chancellor by China’s leader last December.
At 57, Qin is one of the best known faces of the Chinese government of Xi Jinping.
When he was appointed foreign minister, he became one of the youngest foreign ministers China has ever had.
Before becoming foreign minister, Qin served nearly two years as ambassador to the United States, where he became known as a tough-talking diplomat.
Previously, he served as a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry and helped arrange several foreign trips for Xi.
In this position he worked closely with the leader of China.
Health problems?
His prolonged absence has been noted not only by Chinese diplomats and observers, but also by ordinary Chinese citizens.
Throughout China there has been a great interest in the destination of Qing Gang.
Recently the number of searches for his name has skyrocketed on Baidu, the country’s largest search engine.
Qin was scheduled to meet European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on July 4, but bloc officials assured that China canceled the meeting without further explanation and with only a couple of days’ notice.
He also did not attend high-level meetings scheduled for the middle of this month with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and US climate envoy John Kerry.
At a foreign ministers’ meeting a couple of weeks ago, on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Jakarta, Wang Yi attended in place of Qin.
The Chinese government justified his absence from a summit in Indonesia alleging that the now former foreign minister had “health problems” that were not specified.
But the lack of details has created rumors that it is being punished for political reasons or for one extramarital affair.
It is unusual for rumors about such a high-ranking official to circulate on the uncensored Chinese internet, observers say.
“The absence of censorship makes people wonder if there is any truth to rumors about power struggles, corruption, abuse of power and romantic relationships,” Ian Chong, from the National University of Singapore, told the BBC last week.
Remember that you can receive notifications from BBC Mundo. Download the new version of our app and activate them so you don’t miss out on our best content.
- Do you already know our YouTube channel? Subscribe!
See original article on BBC