Wang Yi Replaces Qin Gang As China’s Foreign Minister

International

oi-Prakash KL

Qin Gang has been removed as the Foreign Minister of China and he has been replaced by his predecessor Wang Yi.

“China’s top legislature convened a session on Tuesday to review a draft criminal law amendment and a decision on official appointment and removal. Qin Gang has been removed from his position as Foreign Minister and Wang Yi has been appointed as Foreign Minister,” ANI quoted China’s Global Times in a tweet.

The announcement comes one month since Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang was last seen, with China’s government saying he was off for unspecified health reasons.

It was approved at a meeting of the Standing Committee of China’s rubber-stamp legislature, the National People’s Congress, which usually gathers at the end of the month, according to a report in PTI.

57-year-old Qin, who is known to be close to President Xi Jinping, was appointed as the Foreign Minister in December after a brief stint as an envoy to the United States.

During the American diplomat’s visit to Beijing in mid-June, he played a crucial part in the efforts to stabilize the rocky ties and restore communication between the US and China. This included a meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

He has missing from the public since June 25. A swirl of speculations started doing rounds after he missed an international diplomatic summit in Indonesia. However, his ministry later said he was off work for unspecified health reasons.

69-year-old Wang has retaken the role he held between 2018 and 2022.