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Qin Gang in April
Photo: Suo Takekuma / Kyodo News Pool / EPA
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who has not appeared in public for a month, has been removed from office. As the state broadcaster CCTV reported, the Standing Committee of the People's Congress voted in favor at a meeting on Tuesday. His predecessor Wang Yi is to take over the office again. A reason for the current decision was not initially given.
In recent weeks, there had been wild speculation about the fate of Qing Gang. The 57-year-old had his last public appointment in Beijing on June 25. He hasn't been seen since. China's top diplomat Wang Yi, who is still above Qin Gang in the hierarchy, had represented the foreign minister several times.
Initially, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry said on request that Qin Gang was unable to attend for health reasons. However, there was also speculation about a possible extramarital affair. Asked about this, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry said that she had "no information" on the matter.
Officials, celebrities and businessmen keep disappearing in China
The disappearances of high officials, celebrities and businessmen happen again and again in China. Often later it turns out that they were involved in investigations or other controversies.
One of the most well-known cases in recent years is the former Chinese Interpol chief Meng Hongwei, who disappeared on a trip to China in 2018. Two years later, a Chinese court sentenced him to a long prison term for accepting bribes.
Qin Gang was only appointed foreign minister in March after a meteoric career under state and party leader Xi Jinping.
aeh/AFP/dpa