Exactly one month after his last public appearance, Beijing dismissed Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who had been appointed at the end of December. Without giving any further indication of his whereabouts or his personal situation, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Assembly (the Chinese legislature), in a session convened just a day in advance, decided to sack the chancellor – previously seen as a protégé of President Xi Jinping – and to appoint in his place veteran Wang Yi, who has held the post for the past decade. The only reason Beijing gave for his absence two weeks ago was “for health reasons”.
Wang, who has held Qin’s position several times since his disappearance from the map, currently serves as director of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party Central Committee, a position hierarchically superior to Qin in the People’s Republic’s complex pyramid of power. Xinhua’s very brief note on the dismissal and appointment does not explain whether the new minister will hold both positions simultaneously. The declaration of the Assembly is signed by the President of the People’s Republic.
Qin’s situation remains a mystery. After more than 15 days without any reference to the foreign minister, on July 11 the Chinese government used “health reasons” to argue that Qin Gang would not attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Jakarta, Indonesia, according to Wang Wenbin, spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, in a routine appearance. Wang Yi took his place.
This was the first and only time the matter was discussed publicly. Since then, there has been no news of the 57-year-old former ambassador to the United States, who is known for his sharp words and his replicas of a wolf warrior, as China’s toughest diplomats are commonly known. Even in the official media, his situation was neither discussed nor collected nor questioned.
The coup comes at a time of diplomatic excitement in Beijing. In recent weeks, the People’s Republic’s capital has received important visits from senior US officials in a bid to stem the deterioration in relations between the two superpowers. The uncertainty and lack of leads on Qin, meanwhile, have fueled intense speculation – searches using his name have multiplied in Chinese search engines – and forced the postponement of several key visits, including those by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, and British Foreign Secretary, James Cleverly.
The last time he was seen on duty was on June 25th. He wore a suit and looked handsome in the official pictures. That day he met with the foreign ministers of Vietnam, Sri Lanka and the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister. Shortly before, he had conducted the most important interview since taking office, with Antony Blinken, the first US Secretary of State to visit the country in five years. “China-US relations are at their lowest point since their inception,” Qin told his US counterpart.
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Qin was also present the next day for Blinken’s face-to-face meeting with Xi, who was seated to the left of the Chinese President and behind Wang Yi in strict order of protocol. These meetings heralded the beginning of a period of understanding between Washington and Beijing. And since then, at the beginning of July, Finance Minister Janet Yellen has been parading through the capital of the second economic power; the special envoy for climate, John Kerry, and the centenary former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, last week. Qin did not attend any of these visits.
In 2023, the days of Chinese diplomacy moved on at a grueling pace. After the end of strict anti-pandemic measures in December and the country reopening in January, leaders from half the world circulated in Beijing, from French Emmanuel Macron to Brazilian Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Spaniard Pedro Sánchez.
After serving more than three decades in the service of China’s foreign ministry, Qin came into office at the precise moment of reopening, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the uphill battle with the United States. When he was in office a little over a month, the US-launched alleged spy balloon crisis erupted, sending relations with Washington into a downward spiral. He had just returned from the US capital, where he had served as ambassador for almost two years. In his first speech to the press after his appointment as secretary, he warned the United States that “conflict and confrontation” will “certainly” ensue if it doesn’t hit the brakes.
Qin became a household name as a foreign speaker years ago for his often blunt retorts. He cemented ties with President Xi Jinping as he escorted him around world capitals following his appointment as Director-General of Protocol. A senior member of a European government who met him described him as “tough and direct”. In 2008, at one of his speaking engagements — one of the few places where you can get a sense of Beijing’s take on any subject — a journalist asked him what he thought of American rock group Guns N’ Roses’ latest album, entitled Chinese Democracy. Qin replied, “As far as I know, not many people like this kind of music because it’s always too loud. Then again, you are a mature adult, aren’t you?”
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