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.
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Here’s what we know so far:
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 “fighter wolves”, a nickname given to some Chinese diplomats who vehemently hit back at Western criticism of China.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang | AFP Archives
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 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.
AFP
“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, modestly wrote on the Weibo social network, where he is widely followed.
“You have to strike 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.
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.
Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee Wang Yi (right) shaking hands with former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (left) AFP
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.
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.