Missing? Affair? Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang Missing for a Month... Authorities Remain Silent

Mention in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Regular Briefing

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has not appeared in public for a month, and in his absence, Wang Yi, member of the Communist Party Central Political Bureau, and Ma Zhaoxu, Vice Foreign Minister, have been filling in, Taiwan's Central News Agency reported on the 24th.

Qin Gang, Chinese Foreign Minister. Xinhua News Agency = Yonhap [Image source = Yonhap]

At the regular press briefing of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs held on the afternoon of the 24th, reporters flooded with questions about Qin's whereabouts, who has not been seen for a month.

Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responded to reporters' questions with "no information" or "already answered," showing signs of discomfort. When a foreign journalist requested to share news about Qin, Mao briefly said, "I have no information to provide."

When asked how Qin's absence affects China's diplomacy, Mao emphasized, "You should know that China's diplomatic activities are being carried out steadily."

Qin Gang suddenly stopped public activities after holding consecutive meetings on the 25th of last month in Beijing with the foreign ministers of Sri Lanka and Vietnam, as well as the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister. Since that day, he has disappeared from public appearances for a month.

Regarding whether Qin is still the Chinese Foreign Minister, Mao responded, "I already answered last week," adding, "There is no additional news."

Earlier, Mao had said in response to the same question last week, "Please refer to the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs website."

Currently, Qin's greetings and activity records are posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website. However, after the meeting news with the foreign ministers of Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister on the 25th of last month in Beijing was posted, no further updates have been made.

As Qin's absence prolongs, various suspicions such as espionage, disappearance, and affair rumors have been raised both inside and outside diplomatic circles.

Moreover, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been deleting content related to Qin from the daily Q&A posted on its website, further fueling suspicions.

Chinese-language media have been releasing sensational reports about Qin's disappearance, focusing on alleged affairs and power struggles surrounding him.

One rumor circulating through Taiwanese and Hong Kong media is that Qin had an extramarital child with Fu Xiaotian, an anchor of Phoenix TV who is suspected of espionage, which led to his "fall from power." Recently, reports have also linked this to the Rocket Force's "purge" and mentioned involvement in power struggles.

Meanwhile, local media, Qingdao Daily in China, described this as "Qin Gang's secretive and strange disappearance," reporting that Wang Yi, aged 70 this year, has swiftly taken over Qin's role.

In fact, Wang Yi attended a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa in Jakarta, Indonesia, on the 14th, and it is reported that he is also exploring the possibility of holding a high-level trilateral meeting among South Korea, China, and Japan in the future.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.