Where is Qin Gang?
There is no trace of China’s foreign minister

25/07/2023 10:48

This is not the first time that a high-ranking politician has disappeared from China: there has been no trace of the People’s Republic of China’s foreign minister for a month. Was Qin Gang having an affair? Is he sick? Is he being investigated? The assembly of the People’s Congress can now give an answer.

Prominent politicians like Qin Gang are actually being photographed and filmed every day. But the last photo of China’s foreign minister is one month old. It shows the 57-year-old smiling on June 25 with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko. Since then there was no trace of Qin Gang, even though he actually had to fulfill an important obligation.

Is the minister sick? Is he having an affair? Or is he being investigated for corruption? This case has not only caused irritation among more and more Chinese people, representatives of other countries are also wondering how they should react to the disappearance. Qin Gang, who had a meteoric rise under head of state and party leader Xi Jinping and has been foreign minister since March, is supposed to represent China as a major world power. Is getting good wishes appropriate? Or is it better to wait until the fog clears, Western diplomats have asked themselves.

New personnel at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?

The speculation was further fueled by Monday night’s announcement. Therefore, the Standing Committee of the People’s Congress must meet in a short time this Tuesday. Therefore, one of the two items on the agenda must deal with personnel decisions. However, it was not clear whether it was actually about Qin Gang.

In early July, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was one of the first to sense something was wrong. Just days before the planned meeting with Qin Gang in Beijing, China abruptly called it off. Nor did he attend the summit of foreign ministers of the ASEAN community of Southeast Asian nations. Instead, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, who is above the foreign minister in the power hierarchy, made the trip. Wang Yi has recently represented Qin Gang at a number of meetings, including this week’s meeting of the BRICS nations of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa in Johannesburg.

Not possible for “health reasons”.

When asked why Qin Gang did not attend the ASEAN meeting, a spokesman for Beijing’s foreign ministry said it was impossible due to “health reasons”. However, at the same time, speculation was circulating that Qin Gang was taken out of circulation due to an extramarital affair and a baby. When asked about unproven rumors that he had an affair with journalists from Hong Kong TV station Phoenix, a spokesman for Beijing’s foreign ministry said he had “no information” on the matter. However, he did not repeat that Qin Gang was sick. The Foreign Office now routinely says it has “no information” when asked about the boss.

In the minutes of the daily press conference, which are posted on the ministry’s website every evening, the question of Qin Gang was highlighted. This secrecy has also drawn criticism in China. The leadership in Beijing is pursuing a “black box approach,” said Wu Qiang, a former professor of politics at the renowned Tsinghua University. It was a fact for him that the foreign minister was under investigation.

“everyone is worried”

“Everyone is worried about something but can’t say it openly,” wrote Hu Xijin, a commentator on the Weibo social network known for its nationalist undertones, after Qin Gang stopped making public appearances.

The case of the foreign minister aroused great interest. However, the disappearance of senior officials, celebrities and business people is not uncommon in China. Later it was often discovered that they were involved in investigations or other controversies. One of the most high-profile cases in recent years is that of former Interpol head China Meng Hongwei, who disappeared in 2018 while on a trip to his native China. Two years later, a Chinese court sentenced him to a long prison term for accepting bribes.

Can Qin Gang face the same fate? “Investigations into the Qin people and/or his network are likely given the length of his absence,” said Nis Grünberg of the China Institute Merics in Berlin. But health problems could also be the cause of his departure. Most importantly, Beijing will not immediately communicate serious illnesses such as heart attacks or similar problems. Whether the truth will be revealed is unclear. Information control is a top priority for Beijing, said Grünberg.