'Chingang Nakma' One Day Later, Chinese State Media Say "Officials Must Not Deviate"

The former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who was dismissed on the 25th, disappeared from official appearances.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

The official newspaper of the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party issued a commentary warning young cadres not to go astray shortly after the dismissal of Foreign Minister Qin Gang, drawing attention to the background of this move.

According to Taiwan's Central News Agency on the 28th, the Central Party School's official newspaper, Xuexi Shibao, published a front-page commentary on the 26th titled "Young cadres must possess both virtue and talent appropriate to their positions."

The commentary stated, "General Secretary Xi Jinping recently said at the opening ceremony of the Central Party School's education program that 'for young cadres to become pillars of the family or the nation (棟梁之才, dongliang zhicai), they must have virtue and talent commensurate with their positions.'

It continued, "Young cadres must uphold public virtue, strictly govern personal interests, and establish a correct view of power and career."

Furthermore, it emphasized, "The virtue of cadres is evaluated by whether they can control their desires in the face of political tests, maintain a firm sense of purpose, take ultimate responsibility for their work, and overcome all kinds of temptations."

This commentary was released one day after Foreign Minister Qin Gang was dismissed on the 25th. Qin Gang disappeared after concluding meetings with the foreign ministers of Vietnam and Sri Lanka, and the deputy foreign minister of Russia in Beijing on June 25. Since then, various rumors, including espionage and extramarital affairs, have circulated regarding Qin Gang's whereabouts. The Chinese government only announced on the 25th that Qin Gang was dismissed due to health reasons without providing specific details, which further fueled speculation. In this context, the publication of this commentary in Xuexi Shibao suggests that Qin Gang's dismissal may not be solely due to health issues.

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