China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang Missing For Three Weeks? Rumours Swirl

Since June 25, Qin has failed to show up at several crucial meetings.

In a rare incident, the Chinese foreign minister has vanished from public view for the last three weeks setting the rumours mills running. Foreign Minister Qin Gang has not been seen for the last three weeks which is unusual for a senior diplomat like him. There has not been any statement from the Chinese government over the issue. The 57-year-old senior diplomat was promoted to the post of foreign minister in December and is said to be the trusted hand of Chinese President Xi Jinping. 

Foreign Minister Qin has been spearheading Beijing’s assault against the United States especially after the suspected Chinese spy balloon was shot down over the US. Qin reportedly also played a crucial role in efforts by stabilize the rocky ties with the US after that episode and was crucial during the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit in mid-June.

When reporters asked about Qin’s absence at a press briefing, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said that she had no information to provide on the issue and added that China’s diplomatic activities are being carried out as usual.

Since June 25, Qin has failed to show up at several crucial meetings including high-profile visits by senior US officials Janet Yellen and John Kerry, at a meeting with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell and at an annual foreign ministers’ meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Indonesia last week. While there are many speculations around Qin’s absence, several reports attributed it to his alleged affair with a journalist.

In Xi's regime, it has become a recurring pattern for senior Chinese officials to vanish from public visibility, only to reemerge months later after the ruling Communist Party's disciplinary watchdog discloses that they have been detained for investigation. These abrupt disappearances have now become a familiar hallmark of Xi's efforts to combat corruption within the government.