China fired Qin from his ministerial post in July
Beijing:
China has removed former Foreign Minister Qin Gang from his post after an investigation revealed he had an affair and fathered a child while serving as US ambassador, the Wall Street Journal reported. Top officials were told in August that a Communist Party investigation into Qin revealed “lifestyle problems,” the newspaper reported Tuesday, citing people familiar with the situation that was not described. That expression usually means sexual misconduct of some type in the parlance of Chinese officialdom.
Two of the people said the affair led to the birth of a child in the US. The investigation, with Qin’s help, is now focusing on whether the affair compromised national security. China is locked in an ideological battle with the US, its main economic and geopolitical rival, which has led Beijing to intensify its national security efforts to protect the country from foreign threats.
The Foreign Ministry in Beijing did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
China fired Qin from his ministerial post in July, just seven months after he took up the job. His tenure was therefore the shortest in that role. No explanation was given for Qin’s removal when his predecessor Wang Yi was reinstated.
The episode raised questions about President Xi Jinping’s decision-making and the stability of the government that runs the world’s second-largest economy. These concerns have been reignited by the current unexplained absence of Defense Minister Li Shangfu, amid media reports that he is under investigation for corruption.
The ruling Communist Party’s upper ranks are now under scrutiny for their dealings with foreigners, the insiders told the WSJ, adding that the top brass of China’s military was also in the spotlight.
Few Chinese officials have risen through the diplomatic ranks as quickly as Qin. His big break came in 2015 when he was given oversight of protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During that six-year period, he organized state visits of top leaders to China.
It was probably in that role that Qin gained access to Xi. He was pictured next to the Chinese leader during a meeting with then US President Donald Trump in Beijing in 2017.
In 2021, Qin was sent to Washington while still relatively unknown outside diplomatic circles and Beijing’s press corps. He showed a flair for public relations and embraced American culture by openly attending a baseball game and riding in a Tesla Inc. with Elon Musk. to drive.
He also made measured comments on current issues, arguing that Beijing would have tried to stop Russia from invading Ukraine if the country had known its plans and downplayed the risk of war with Taiwan.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
