China appoints Wang Yi as its new Foreign Minister, replacing Qin Gang

China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang was removed from office, while the country’s top legislature voted to appoint Wang Yi as foreign minister

 China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang was removed from office on July 25, state media reported, after not being seen in the public eye for a month.

“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.”

Mr. Qin (57) who became one of China’s youngest Foreign Ministers when he took up the post in December after a stint as envoy to the United States, had not been seen in public since June 25.

His Ministry later said he was off work for unspecified health reasons, but the lack of detailed information fuelled a swirl of speculation.

The report did not give a reason for Mr. Qin’s removal but said President Xi Jinping signed a presidential order to enact the decision.

Mr. Qin had been seen as a confidant of Mr. Xi and many analysts attributed his recent fast rise through the diplomatic ranks to their relationship.

China has remained tight-lipped for weeks about the fate of Mr. Qin, who has not been seen in public since June 25 when he met Russia’s deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko in Beijing.