China dismisses Qin Gang as Foreign Minister after 7 months; Wang Yi appointed as new minister (Comprehensive)

China dismissed Qin Gang, the Minister of Foreign Affairs who had been missing for a month amid various suspicions, and appointed Wang Yi, a member of the Communist Party Central Political Bureau, as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

According to major Chinese media on the 25th, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) held a meeting that day to dismiss Minister Qin and appoint Commissioner Wang as the new Minister of Foreign Affairs. It has been a month since Minister Qin last appeared in an official setting.

The vote was attended by 170 members of the NPC Standing Committee. The NPC did not explain the reason for Minister Qin's dismissal. Although the reason for the dismissal was not disclosed, it appears that for some reason he is unable to perform the duties of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Minister Qin disappeared from the public eye after meeting with the foreign ministers of Sri Lanka and Vietnam and the deputy foreign minister of Russia in Beijing on the 25th of last month. At the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) related series of foreign ministers' meetings on the 11th, his superior, Wang Yi, a member of the Communist Party Central Political Bureau, attended, explaining that Minister Qin could not attend due to health issues.

There was speculation that Minister Qin might have been infected with COVID-19, but as he remained absent for more than two weeks, various unconfirmed rumors such as serious illness, investigation, and extramarital affairs arose. In particular, when Chinese Foreign Ministry officials consistently responded with ignorance to reporters' questions about Minister Qin's whereabouts, related suspicions grew even stronger.

Minister Qin was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs on December 30 last year, succeeding Wang Yi, who was serving as the Chinese Ambassador to the United States and a member of the Central Political Bureau. At the National People's Congress held in March this year, he maintained his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs while being promoted one level to State Councilor, the highest leadership of the State Council. Thanks to President Xi Jinping's special trust, he achieved a rapid promotion at the relatively young age of 56.

Minister Qin was dismissed just seven months after taking office, earning the dishonor of being the "shortest-serving Minister of Foreign Affairs" since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Commissioner Wang Yi, who returned to the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs after seven months, is a member of the Central Political Bureau ranked around 24th in the Chinese Communist Party hierarchy, and is expected to concurrently serve as Director of the Party Central Foreign Affairs Office and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

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