Disappearance of Chinese foreign minister sparks speculation

[New Sancai Compilation and First Release] After China's top legislature convened a special session to oust Foreign Minister Qin Gang last week, photos and information about the 57-year-old diplomat began disappearing from the website of the foreign ministry where he once served.

After a few days, some relevant information reappeared on the website, but Qin Gang's name did not appear in the list of "former ministers" on the website, and when searching for his name, the result of "Sorry, we can't find Qin Gang" will be displayed .

In fact, he hasn't been seen in public for over a month.

A few weeks ago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs briefly explained that Qin Gang's disappearance was due to health reasons, but this statement was later expunged from official records. The explanation did not dispel speculation about Qin Gang's disappearance, and the whole bizarre incident raised doubts about the rapidly rising President Xi Jinping who installed him.

China appointed veteran diplomat Wang Yi to replace Qin Gang, but gave no further clues as to the reasons for the change.

On Thursday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Mao Ning said Beijing would release information about Qin Gang in a timely manner and slammed the "malicious hype" of the incident.

She said this in response to a reporter's question about the transparency of Qin Gang's dismissal, which was one of more than 25 questions about Qin Gang raised at press conferences in recent days, yet the Ministry of Foreign Affairs dismissed the issue avoid.

The Qin Gang incident sparked speculation and discussion from all walks of life

China's foreign ministry, which handles media inquiries on behalf of the party and government, and the State Council Information Office did not immediately respond to reports.

Qin Gangchao's unusual and unexplained absence, the sudden interruption of his tenure, and other strange events on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website mean that speculation and doubts from all walks of life will continue to exist.

Ian Johnson is a Senior Fellow for China Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. "Eventually the truth will emerge - as it usually does in China, although it can sometimes take months or even years - but the way he was removed from office makes it unlikely that he was removed for health reasons," he said.

Wu Qiang, a Beijing-based political analyst, said he "almost certainly ruled out health problems as the real cause". If it is really a health factor, the government could appoint a deputy to replace Qin Gang without having to formally remove him.

Qin Gang became one of China's youngest foreign ministers in December 2022. He held this position for less than half a year, and this position should have a five-year term.

There is a long history of officials disappearing and expunging from party and government records in China.

Xiao Yaqing, Minister of Industry and Information Technology, was revealed to be under investigation for corruption nearly a month after his sudden disappearance last year.

In 2016, Zhang Kunsheng, who was the chief protocol officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was found guilty of corruption and abuse of power to obtain sexual services. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs deleted all online information related to him.

Similar deletion practices have existed for decades in China.

A state-commissioned painting depicting Mao standing atop the Tiananmen Gate tower at the historic moment when he declared the founding of the People's Republic of China, with dignitaries lined up behind Mao, was revised three times between 1955 and 1972, Only because several high-ranking officials had different political ideas from Mao, this official was removed from the painting.

"One Man Dictatorship"

In Qin Gang's case, the situation is not as clear-cut as some observers have suggested.

According to experts, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which met last Tuesday, did not remove Qin Gang's other title, "State Councilor". The State Councilor is a member of the Chinese government's cabinet and ranks higher than ministers. Although the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress has the power to carry out such a recall.

A portrait of Qin Gang, the former U.S. envoy, hung on the wall of the Chinese embassy in Washington on Thursday, according to Reuters witnesses, even though information about him had been removed from the Foreign Ministry website.

Analysts also pointed out that just a few months ago, Qin would need to go through a rigorous vetting process to take up the position.

Under Chinese Communist Party rules, leading cadres undergo vetting based on ideology, job performance and adherence to party discipline, and they must also declare family details, including whether they have ever lived abroad and what assets are owned.

Since coming to power in 2012, Mr. Xi has enacted a series of anti-corruption and party discipline regulations aimed at tackling corruption, which analysts say has cemented party members' loyalty to him.

If there were more complex reasons behind Qin Gang's ouster than just health concerns, it would also have implications for Xi, especially given that Qin Gang's rise was in part due to his close relationship with Xi.

Qin Gang served as chief protocol officer during Mr. Xi's first presidency, giving him direct access to Mr. Xi when he meets with foreign leaders.

Then, within five years, he went from protocol chief to U.S. ambassador to foreign minister and state councilor. According to Chinese promotion practices, Qin Gang's triple jump was comparable to a bullet train.

Analysts said Xi's final leadership lineup for his third term, unveiled earlier this year, broke with precedent and was largely made up of officials he previously worked with and trusted.

Xi has ditched the traditional process of having senior current and retired leaders vote on potential candidates before presenting the finalized list to the wider party delegates for formal endorsement.

According to the official Xinhua News Agency, the list of members of the leadership team was decided this time under the "direct leadership" of Xi Jinping. He made those decisions after personally meeting with potential candidates and consulting with others.

Wu Zeang, an associate professor at Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, said: "The Qin Gang incident exposed the fragility of Xi Jinping's one-man dictatorship."

(Compilation: Chen Bingxuan)

(Editor in charge: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: New Sancai first release)