“China’s top legislature voted to appoint Wang Yi as foreign minister… as it convened a session on Tuesday,” state media outlet Xinhua said. “Qin Gang was removed from the post of foreign minister.” No reason was given for Qin’s removal, however, state media reported that President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to enact the decision.
The lengthy absence from public view of China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang has sparked furious online speculation, again highlighting China's secrecy. The 57-year-old has not been seen in public for 23 days - his last reported engagements were on 25 June.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang for more than five hours Sunday to keep channels open as the two countries are -in Quin's words- at their lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic relations.