On July 25, China's upper house of parliament voted to replace Qin Gang as foreign minister with Wang Yi.
Even after Tuesday's declaration, there are still many questions about what will happen to Mr. Qin (57), whose quick ascent through China's diplomatic ranks came after a stint as Mr. Xi's senior protocol officer and solidified notions in Beijing that he was Mr. Xi's go-to ambassador.
Both health issues and political factors have been suggested by observers as potential causes for his abrupt removal.
Without providing further information, the country's legislature announced on July 25 that Mr. Qin had been removed from his position as foreign minister; his predecessor Wang Yi (70), who was last year promoted to the Politburo and appointed head of the Communist Party's Central Foreign Affairs Commission, will fill the position temporarily. However, it appeared Mr. Qin still served as a State Councilor in the Cabinet. In China's government, the position of State Councilor is higher than cabinet positions (and is the only position below the Premier and Vice Premier).
Meetings with foreign ministers from other countries, including Sri Lanka, were part of Mr. Qin's last public appearance on June 25. The Chinese Foreign Ministry earlier stated during a press briefing that he was unable to attend the ASEAN talks in Jakarta due to "health reasons," though it later took those statements out of the official transcript.
Since then, there has been no word on Mr. Qin's condition or whereabouts, which has led to rumors regarding his whereabouts both inside and outside of China.
The Qin incident has prompted some observers to advocate for greater transparency because the country's dominant Communist Party is notorious for its strict secrecy over officials' health. However, if Mr. Qin was genuinely afflicted with a medical condition—which some believed would account for why he continued to serve as a State Councillor—several observers questioned why the government hadn't provided additional details. When Hu Jintao's exit from the stage at the once-every-five-year Party Congress made international headlines in October, state media stated that same day that Mr. Hu had been feeling under the weather. There hasn't been any justification for Mr. Qin's absence.
Given his close relationship to Mr. Xi, if Mr. Qin was involved in political trouble—which is yet unknown, though it has frequently been the outcome for other officials who abruptly vanished from public view—it would be a remarkable and unparalleled political scandal.
Prior to more experienced contenders, Mr. Qin (57) was appointed foreign minister in December. Additionally, he was personally chosen to serve in Washington as his first ambassadorial position in 2021, which was rare in Chinese diplomatic postings. After serving as Mr. Xi's top etiquette officer, he rose to prominence. Earlier, Mr. Qin held the position of spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry.
It is yet unknown if he would take up his old position again later this year or if he will lose his other present posts as a State Councillor and a member of the party Central Committee. Given that the top Chinese diplomat already oversees the Party's Central Foreign Affairs Commission, several observers believed that Mr. Wang's nomination (age 70) rather than a promotion for one of the current Vice Foreign Ministers implied a temporary change.
The dismissal "buys... time to complete an investigation and decide if they want to give him a hard or soft landing and when to give it to him," wrote Joseph Torigian, Global Fellow at The Wilson Center who monitors elite Chinese politics, in a post on Twitter.
