China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang is missing for around a month sparking speculations over his disappearance. The 57-year-old Chinese leader has been missing from public view since 25 June after meeting a Russian diplomat.
Amid the speculations on the whereabouts, the Chinese government and the foreign ministry have not given any specific details on the disappearance. But the questions remain over Qin’s safety, the Chinese government tight-lipped response and the likely successor.
Who is Qin Gang?
Qin Gang is considered a trusted aide of Chinese President Xi Jinping and was appointed foreign minister in December 2022.
He is a well-known face of Xi Jinping government and spent several years at the Chinese embassy in London.
A fluent English speaker, Qin earned a reputation as a “Wolf Warrior", a nickname given to a new generation of Chinese diplomats who push back with often inflammatory rhetoric against Western criticism of Beijing.
While serving as ambassador to the United States, Qin stepped up his visibility through public and media appearances in Washington in which he explained the Chinese position.
After his appointment as a minister, he kept up a busy schedule visiting Africa, Europe and Central Asia as well as hosting foreign dignitaries in Beijing. During his tenure, the rift with the US reached a new heights owing to the spy balloon and Taiwan issue.
All about his whereabouts?
Chinese minister Qin has been missing since June 25, when he met Russia’s deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko in Beijing.
The disappearance was first noticed two weeks later after his absence from a high-level ASEAN summit in Indonesia. The Chinese foreign ministry said “health reasons" were to blame for Qin’s absence. But that has done little to stem an explosion of rumours online.
“Everyone is concerned about something but cannot discuss it publicly," Hu Xijin, a prominent commentator with the state tabloid Global Times, said in a post on Weibo, according to AFP.
“A balance needs to be struck between maintaining the situation and respecting the public’s right to know," he said.
The foreign ministry has not revealed any details about Qin’s absence.
Meanwhile in China, the biggest search engine has seen a drastic surge in searches for Qin Gang’s name. Search for “Qin Gang" has grown by more than 5,000% in a week and the name is being searched more than some of the most famous Chinese celebrities, according to BBC.
It is also being rumoured that Qin was being investigated over an alleged extramarital affair. However, Foreign Ministry spokesperson said she isn’t aware of the matter.
Who is representing China in his stead?
Qin’s absence has left a vacuum at the top of China’s foreign ministry. A visit by the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to Beijing was abruptly called off this month.
A visit by UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly was postponed due to Qin’s absence, according to Bloomberg.
Top foreign policy official Wang Yi, who outranks Qin in China’s political hierarchy, has taken on some of his responsibilities in the meantime, travelling to Africa this week to attend a BRICS meeting on security affairs in Johannesburg.
Beijing insisted Monday that “China’s diplomatic activities are moving forward steadily".
Asked about Qin’s now almost month-long absence, foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning told journalists, “I have no information to offer."
But as the foreign ministry reaches a month without a visible boss, doubts will start to mount over how much it’s business as usual.
“When the top dog is disappeared by the state, everyone in the organization freezes," Desmond Shum, a former Chinese business and political insider said in a tweet.
Is it a Sign of Trouble?
Under China’s largely opaque system, the disappearance of high-profile officials could be a sign of trouble.
However, it’s not uncommon for high-profile figures in the country to disappear for long periods of time without much explanation.
Xi Jinping, had vanished from public view for a fortnight before becoming Chinese President in 2012, prompting rumours about his health and possible power struggles in the Communist Party.
But Qin’s situation is unusual due to the timing of his absence and being one of the most high-level officials to go missing.
AFP contributed to this report
