Beijing [China]: China’s foreign minister Qin Gang, who had been missing from public eye for over a month, was on Tuesday replaced by Wang Yi by the country’s Parliament, reported state media Xinhua.
Wang Yi had previously served as the country’s foreign minister for nearly 10 months. The voting for the same was held adopted at the fourth session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) today as per Xinhua, the official state news agency of the People’s Republic of China.
President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to effectuate the decision, the state media reported. China’s top legislature also appointed Pan Gongsheng as the country’s central bank governor.
Qin was last seen in public on June 25, when he met his counterparts from Russia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. His planned meetings since then have either been cancelled, or top diplomat Wang has gone in Qin’s place, The Washington Post reported.
Wang had represented China at diplomatic summits in Jakarta and Johannesburg in place of Qin.
The US publication stated that Qin’s removal preceded weeks of silence during which Qin’s own ministry refused to provide any information regarding his whereabouts, there has been wild speculation about everything from significant political or personal missteps to a serious sickness.
A week before Qin vanished, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met him in Beijing, and they made an agreement that the Chinese foreign minister would reciprocate by travelling to Washington, according to the Washington Post.
Considered as Chinese President Xi Jinping’s close aide, Qin had swiftly gained to prominence as the spokesperson for the foreign ministry and chief protocol officer, planning many of Xi’s abroad trips, according to The Washington Post.
He was appointed Chinese ambassador to the United States in July 2021, however he served in that capacity for only about 18 months before being given the promotion to foreign minister in December. He is one of the youngest authorities in that position at 57 years old.
