After just seven months, the meteoric rise of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was cut down. He was unceremoniously replaced today.
“China’s top legislature voted to appoint Wang Yi as foreign minister … as it convened a session on Tuesday,” the Xinhua news agency reported. “Qin Gang was removed from the post of foreign minister.”
No details were given but the most-likely reason for his replacement could be the obvious one. His ministry said on July 11 he was unable to attend a meeting in Indonesia for unspecified "health reasons" and it may be as simple as that, though he's only 57.
Or maybe not. His final meeting was with his Russian counterpart in Beijing following the Wagner uprising. Immediately after that meeting, talks were cancelled between Qin and European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Is a change to a more-hawkish policy towards Europe coming?
In June, he also held at 5-hour meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Did he step out of line at one of those meetings?
Or was it personal?
A widespread theory in China is that his downfall may be related to personal transgressions, possibly an affair with a Chinese television personality while he was an ambassador in the United States. But the rumors are always present in China and rarely right. Liu Jianchao was his rumored replacement. He is the head of the communist party’s international liaison department but instead they went with Qin Gang's predecessor.
Perhaps there is some infighting going on after Qin was elevated to the role over more-senior Party members.
In any case, China's foreign policy is in a delicate spot right now towards Russia, Taiwan, the US, Europe and the BRICS bloc. A change here could foreshadow larger shift.
