China swayed away Mr Qin Gang of his position as foreign minister on Tuesday after just half a year on the job, and exactly a month after he vanished from public view spurring uncontrollable investment about his whereabouts. The nation’s top legislature voted to eradicate Mr Qin, 57, at an emergency meeting called on Tuesday. In a surprise move, however, it again gave the opportunity to former foreign minister Wang Yi, 69, to the position he was in charge for 10 years until the last days of 2022. No reasons were shown for Mr Qin’s eradication.
Mr Wang will go on to rule the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) Central Foreign Affairs Commission General Office, which leads to him becoming the nation’s top diplomat. The meeting, confirmed only a day earlier, also saw central bank stalwart Yi Gang make way for his deputy Pan Gongsheng as governor of the People’s Bank of China. Mr Qin had been vanished from official duties since June 25, missing a string of important diplomatic occasions and meetings both at home and abroad.
Instead of the same questions from journalists at its regular briefings, the Foreign Ministry has decided to keep secrets related to Mr Qin’s situations, saying only that he had a health condition that denied him from visiting a latest Asean summit. Mr Qin was given the opportunity to be one of China’s youngest foreign vice-ministers at the age of 52, following a quick ascent in the ministry – and is now also its shortest-serving foreign minister in latest times.