China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang has been absent from public view for more than three weeks despite a diplomatic calendar in Beijing packed with high-profile meetings.
Qin’s prolonged absence has fueled a flurry of speculation about his whereabouts and focused attention on the opaque nature of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) leadership at the helm of the world’s second-largest economy.
When was Qin last seen?
Qin has not been seen in public since June 25, when he held talks with counterparts in Russia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
Qin’s last appearance in state media was a meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, who visited Beijing less than 48 hours after Wagner’s mercenary group’s failed rebellion against Moscow.
Since then, Qin, who was appointed foreign minister in December, has been notably absent from high-profile diplomatic engagements in Beijing.
Qin had planned to meet European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on July 4, but EU officials announced that China canceled the talks without explanation with only a notice of a few days
Qin then missed closely watched meetings with US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and US climate envoy John Kerry.
During a meeting of foreign ministers at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Jakarta last week, China was represented by top diplomat Wang Yi, who previously held the role of Qin and surpasses the Foreign Minister in the CCP pecking order.
China’s top diplomat Wang Yi took Qin Gang’s place at a recent meeting of foreign ministers in Jakarta [File: EPA-EFA/Lukas Coch]
At the time, China’s foreign ministry said Qin’s absence was due to “health reasons,” but omitted that explanation from official transcripts. Since then, Chinese officials have dodged questions about Qin’s health or whereabouts.
The lack of transparency has led to a flurry of speculation both inside and outside China, including as yet unsubstantiated rumors that Qin has fallen out of favor with the leadership.
Qin is still listed as Foreign Minister on the official website of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
What is Qin’s background?
Qin, a career diplomat, has long been regarded as a close confidant of Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as a rising star within the CCP, exemplifying Beijing’s turn to aggressive “wolf warrior” diplomacy ” in recent years.
The 57-year-old Tianjin native has served the Chinese government since the late 1980s, mostly in roles related to foreign affairs.
Prior to his appointment as China’s Foreign Minister, Qin held various diplomatic-related roles, including Vice Foreign Minister, Chief Spokesman for Foreign Affairs, and various positions at the Chinese Embassy in the Kingdom united
Qin also served as head of the protocol department from 2014 to 2017, which put him in charge of organizing Xi’s foreign trips and very close to the Chinese leader.
More recently, Qin served an 11-month stint as ambassador to the United States, where his appointment was widely interpreted as a sign that Xi was redoubling his “wolf warrior” diplomacy.
Qin has rejected Xi’s characterization of China using “wolf warrior” diplomacy while arguing that Chinese diplomats have no choice but to defend their country if faced with “jackals or wolves”.
How unusual is Qin’s disappearance?
It is not common for prominent figures in China to disappear for extended periods without explanation, although in recent years the trend has involved more prominent business people and celebrities than politicians.
Alibaba founder Jack Ma, actress Fan Bingbing and Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai are among a number of prominent figures who have dropped out of the spotlight for a while in recent years.
In some cases, prominent figures have resurfaced months or even years later to be accused of crimes.
China’s justice system has a near 100% conviction rate, and officials routinely deny suspects access to legal representation or contact with the outside world for long periods.
China has not confirmed the whereabouts of Xiao Jianhua, a Chinese-Canadian billionaire who managed the finances of the families of senior CCP officials, for more than three years after mainland Chinese agents took him from a hotel of luxury in Hong Kong in 2017.
In 2022, a Shanghai court sentenced Xiao to 13 years in prison for bribery and other corruption-related crimes.
Meng Hongwei, then head of Interpol, disappeared for several weeks in 2018 after being arrested in China. Meng was sentenced in 2020 by a Chinese court to 13 and a half years in prison for bribery.
Chinese investment banker Fan Bao was out of touch with his company for two weeks in February [File: Mike Blake/Reuters]
In February, Bao Fan, a well-known billionaire investment banker, disappeared for two weeks. His company later confirmed that Bao was “cooperating with an investigation” without giving further details.
Senior CCP officials have also left the map.
Xi himself disappeared from public view for two weeks in 2012 before the CCP’s once-in-a-decade leadership transition, prompting speculation that the then-vice president had fallen out of favor.
In one of the most spectacular falls from grace of the CCP’s inner circle in recent memory, Bo Xilai, the former Chongqing Communist Party secretary, disappeared from public view for several months in 2013 before being sentenced to life in prison for corruption, after his wife. was convicted of the murder of a British businessman.
In 2015, Zhou Yongkang, the former head of China’s security services, became the highest-ranking CCP official yet to be purged after being sentenced to life in prison on corruption charges.
Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London, said the circumstances of Qin’s absence suggest he has fallen out of favor with Beijing.
“It is not unusual for high-ranking officials to disappear in China, but apart from Xi Jinping, who himself disappeared for almost two weeks or so before the 18th Party Congress, others disappeared. In the latter cases, they usually had problems, under arrest or investigation, when public references resurfaced,” Tsang told Al Jazeera.
“The Xi case was unusual in that he was the heir apparent at the time and, with the benefit of hindsight, disappeared himself in a tactical move to get his way,” Tsang added.
“Qin is not high or powerful enough to play the game that Xi played a decade ago. Most likely, Qin’s disappearance is not voluntary, in which case, he is more likely to be in trouble. Being someone promoted by the fast track for Xi, only Xi can punish Qin.
