What becomes of it? Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has not been seen in public for nearly a month, sparking an avalanche of speculation and rumors about his whereabouts.
Here’s what we know so far:
Who is Qin Gang?
Considered a trusted man of President Xi Jinping, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs at the end of December 2022.
Aged 57, this career diplomat, who speaks fluent English, notably spent several years at the Chinese Embassy in London and is a former spokesperson for his ministry, of which he was notably the chief of protocol.
Qin Gang has sometimes been categorized by foreign media as “wolf fighters”, a nickname given to some Chinese diplomats who vehemently retaliate against Western criticism of China.
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In 2020, he felt that the image of China had deteriorated in Western countries, because Europeans and Americans, especially their media, had never accepted the political system and the economic growth of the Asian giant.
Having become ambassador to the United States (2021-2022), Qin Gang had gained visibility in this post, multiplying public appearances and statements to the press in order to explain his country’s position on international affairs.
After his appointment as minister in December 2022, he has constantly had a very busy schedule, with visits to Africa, Europe, Central Asia and hosting many foreign officials in Beijing.
Qin Gang and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing on June 18.
Photo LEAH MILLIS / POOL / AFP
What becomes of it?
Qin Gang has not been seen in public since June 25, when he met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko in Beijing.
But it was his absence from a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Indonesia two weeks later that raised the first questions.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs had justified his non-presence by “reasons of health”. But that was not enough to stem an avalanche of rumors on Chinese social networks.
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“There is a subject that everyone is watching carefully, but which cannot be discussed publicly,” Hu Xijin, the influential former editor-in-chief of the state tabloid Global Times, coyly wrote on the Weibo social network, where he is widely followed.
“There has to be a balance between maintaining a good environment for day-to-day business and the general public’s right to know what’s going on,” said Hu, who is known to usually be a defender of the government line.
The Foreign Ministry has so far evaded all questions about Qin Gang’s whereabouts.
Who represents China in his place?
His absence causes a vacuum at the head of the ministry.
A visit to Beijing by the head of European Union foreign policy, Josep Borrell, was suddenly canceled in July.
And the Bloomberg news agency claimed on Friday that a visit by British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly had been postponed due to Qin Gang’s absence.
It is Wang Yi, the real boss of Chinese diplomacy because of his high rank within the Communist Party, who fulfills part of the minister’s obligations in his absence.
Wang Yi, accompanied by the American envoy for the climate, John Kerry, on July 18, in Beijing.
Photo FLORENCE LO / POOL / AFP
Mr. Wang, who occupies a hierarchical position superior to that of Mr. Qin, is currently in South Africa to participate in a meeting of the BRICS group.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs assures for its part that the diplomatic activity of China follows its normal course.