On May 25th, according to reports from Hong Kong media, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin has stepped down, with yesterday marking his final press conference during his tenure. Last July, during a routine press briefing hosted by Wang, he remained silent for a lengthy 16 seconds and skipped over a question regarding Qin Gang after flipping through documents.
On the 25th, Hong Kong’s “Sing Tao Daily” reported that on the 24th, Wang Wenbin presided over a routine press conference at the Chinese Foreign Ministry. It was rumored on-site that Wang would be stepping down from his position as spokesperson. It is said that in the future, Wang does not rule out the possibility of serving as an important ambassador for China or in other key positions.
Wang Wenbin, 53 years old, a graduate of the Foreign Affairs College, previously served as the secretary to former Chinese Foreign Minister and State Councilor Tang Jiaxuan. In 2018, he served as the Chinese Ambassador to Tunisia, and in 2020, he took on the role of Deputy Director-General in the Department of Information of the Foreign Ministry, as well as serving as a spokesperson.
In April of this year, astute internet users discovered that Wang Wenbin was wearing a “Parrotfish” watch from the Swiss luxury brand Patek Philippe during a press conference. This watch is valued at 3.47 million RMB, with a second-hand price reaching as high as $697,000 USD. Commentator Yuan Bin of the Epoch Times wrote that Wang Wenbin is a Chinese official at the deputy director or bureau level, with a monthly salary of around 13,000 RMB. It would take him approximately 22 years of saving every penny to afford this watch. Considering this, it is highly unlikely that he purchased the watch himself, and it may be related to corruption. Should the Chinese Discipline Inspection Commission investigate this, as well as offer an explanation to the internet users who questioned the origins of this luxury watch?
During his tenure as spokesperson, Wang Wenbin faced a moment of silence during a routine Foreign Ministry press conference in mid-July 2023 when a journalist from Agence France-Presse asked for the latest information on when Qin Gang would return. Wang Wenbin remained silent for roughly 16 seconds, seemingly bowing his head and flipping through documents before stating, “I have already introduced the relevant situation previously. Next question.”
Former Chinese Foreign Minister and former State Councilor Qin Gang, who went missing shortly after taking office in June 2023, was not officially relieved of his duties until July 25, 2023 as Foreign Minister, and on October 24 of the same year he was removed from the post of State Councilor. On February 27 of this year, an announcement from the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress of China revealed that Qin Gang had resigned from the position of the 14th National People’s Congress delegate. To date, Qin Gang has not appeared in public since his disappearance.