The Two Sessions of the Chinese Communist Party are currently being held in Beijing. The agenda of the National People’s Congress on the morning of March 8 was a press conference by the Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Three years ago during the previous Two Sessions of the CCP, Qin Gang held a press conference as the newly appointed Foreign Minister. However, latest reports indicate that Qin Gang has been demoted to the rank of deputy minister and has retired early.
According to a report from the Hong Kong newspaper “Ming Pao” on March 8, last October, Qin Gang was allegedly seen at the Beijing International Music Festival. The following month, a friend from Hong Kong claimed to have “encountered Qin Gang” at a bookstore in Wangfujing. The friend stated, “It can be confirmed that it was Qin Gang, wearing a cap with gray temples.” The encounter was brief as Qin Gang quickly left the scene.
The report revealed that Qin Gang was demoted to the rank of deputy minister and early retirement as a result of his actions, which were described as having “extremely negative effects” despite being related to his “lifestyle issues.”
On October 9 last year, independent commentator Cai Shenkun revealed in an online post that Qin Gang had retired with the treatment of a deputy minister. On September 27 of that year, a memorial service for the late former EU ambassador Guan Chengyuan was held at the deceased’s home. Hua Chunying attended and conveyed condolences from Xi Jinping and Cai Qi on Guan’s passing. Regarding the issue with Qin Gang, she stated that it was determined that Qin had no political or economic issues, but rather it involved emotional entanglements with Fu Xiaotian. Qin has now safely retired.
Born in 1966, Qin Gang had served in the Chinese Communist Party’s diplomatic system for over 30 years. He had previously served as spokesperson in 2005 and 2011, became the Ambassador to the United States in July 2021, entered the Central Committee at the 20th CCP Congress in October 2022, became the Foreign Minister in January 2023, and was appointed as a Deputy State Councilor in March 2023, making him the youngest “Party and State Leader” in the Chinese political scene.
After becoming Foreign Minister, Qin Gang was promoted two ranks within three months, a rare occurrence in the CCP’s political landscape. This was seen as a sign of the special trust Xi Jinping had in him. In comparison, the current Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, served as the Foreign Minister for five years before being promoted to State Councilor.
However, Qin Gang “disappeared” from his position on June 25, 2023, for a month; and on July 25, he was relieved of his duties as Foreign Minister, becoming the shortest-serving Foreign Minister in the history of the CCP, which garnered significant international attention.
On July 18, 2024, the official CCP media released the communique of the third plenary session of the 2…
The reasons behind Qin Gang’s fall from grace have been widely debated, including rumors of extramarital affairs during his tenure as Ambassador to the US. His rapid downfall is deemed as a significant blow to Xi Jinping’s personnel decisions and diplomatic strategies. The post-fall path of Qin Gang has remained a mystery.
Chinese affairs expert Wang He once stated that due to the secretive operations of the CCP, people can only speculate on the internal dynamics based on the visible outcomes. Since Xi Jinping assumed power, the importance of the entire CCP diplomatic system has risen. Qin Gang’s swift rise to the position of deputy national-level leader, becoming the youngest among them, is unimaginable without the trust of Xi Jinping. “Qin Gang was able to land softly because the offenses committed were not too severe. Additionally, it’s possible that Xi Jinping still had his hands tied and hadn’t reached the point of completely abandoning him. The diplomatic system is unique, and Xi Jinping lacks reliable people, making it difficult to conduct purges.”
He pointed out that Qin Gang’s downfall was largely due to internal struggles within the diplomatic system. Xi Jinping is also facing a dilemma – trying to deal with the complex diplomatic system without causing chaos.