China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang Fired; Wang Yi Reassumes Former Post

(Photo: LEAH MILLIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) walks with China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang (R) ahead of a meeting at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on June 18, 2023.

China dismissed Qin Gang as its foreign minister Tuesday (July 25) after a month-long absence from public duties. His predecessor, Wang Yi, who filled in for Qin during his absence, would reassume his former post moving forward.

According to Chinese officials, Qin skipped an international diplomatic summit in Indonesia, saying he was off work for unspecified health reasons. Speculations about his fate and whereabouts grew as of this report because of the lack of detailed information.

It also deepened suspicion about transparency and decision-making among China's cloistered leadership, analysts and diplomats said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry has not responded to requests by reporters for comment.

Qin Falls Out of Favor?

Qin only took the job in December after a brief stint as an envoy to the United States. The 57-year-old was last seen publicly when he met with officials from Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Russia in Beijing.

The highlight of his tenure was when US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken visited Beijing in an attempt by Washington to thaw relations between the world superpowers. He also attended the BRICS foreign ministers meeting in South Africa ahead of the leaders' summit in Johannesburg next month sans Vladimir Putin, who declined to come after an arrest warrant was presented to him by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Qin was a personal pick by Chinese President Xi Jinping, having a quick rise to the diplomatic post, with his appointment over more experienced candidates causing some surprise among observers of elite Chinese politics. It was also seen as a sign of Xi's trust in Qin until recently.

Former Chinese Communist Party editor Deng Yuwen told CNN earlier this month that Qin was "single-handedly pulled up the ranks by Xi," and any setbacks or problems with him would reflect on the top Chinese leader.

"If anything unusual happened to a senior official, people will wonder if their relations with the top leader have soured or whether it is a sign of political instability," he added.

Qin's disappearance was far from being the first, as senior Chinese officials have disappeared from public view in the past, only to be revealed months later by the ruling Communist Party's disciplinary watchdog they have been detained for investigations. Such sudden disappearances have become a common feature in Xi's anti-corruption campaign.