Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has been missing for a month. And has not been seen at any events or public gatherings, fueling speculation about his alleged disappearance.
According to French news agency AFP, 57-year-old Shin Gong was appointed as foreign minister in December 2022. Known as the ‘Wolf Warrior’. The Chinese foreign minister spent years at the Chinese embassy in London and speaks fluent English.
While serving as ambassador to the United States, he increased his presence in Washington publicly and through the media and explained the Chinese position.
After his appointment as minister, he continued a busy schedule, touring Africa, Europe, and Central Asia, as well as hosting foreign dignitaries in Beijing.
Qin Gang has not been see in public since June 25. When he met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko in Beijing.
His absence from the high-level ASEAN summit in Indonesia two weeks later raised questions.
China’s foreign ministry cited health issues as the reason for his absence.
“Everyone is concerned but can’t talk about it publicly,” Hu Zhijin, a prominent commentator for the state-run tabloid Global Times, said in a post on Weibo.
“There is a need to strike a balance between maintaining the status quo and respecting the public’s right to know,” he said.
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell’s visit to Beijing this month was abruptly cancel.
Bloomberg reported on Friday that British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley’s visit has been postponed due to Qin Ying’s absence.
Top foreign policy official Wang Yi, meanwhile, has assumed some of his responsibilities. Travelling to Africa this week to attend the BRICS summit on security issues in Johannesburg.
And Beijing has insisted in his absence that China’s diplomacy is operating as normal.
