Decoding Qin Gang’s Demotion: “He’s Either Dying or Under Discipline”

Suo Takekuma / POOL / AFP

One month after Qin Gang made his last public appearance as foreign minister, China’s top legislative body removed him from the post on Tuesday and re-appointed the country’s most senior foreign policy official Wang Yi to the position.

Despite rampant speculation over what prompted Qin’s sudden disappearance from public life, neither the Communist Party nor the government has provided a hint as to what happened.

  • Get a daily email packed with the latest China-Africa news and analysis.
  • Read exclusive insights on the key trends shaping China-Africa relations.
  • Full access to the News Feed that provides daily updates on Chinese engagement in Africa and throughout the Global South.

China, Africa and the Global South... find out what’s happening.

Subscribe today for unlimited access.

OR

Already a subscriber? Log in Click Here to Learn More
by Eric Olander

Most Read

1
Developing Countries’ Debt Servicing Costs to China Are Significant, but Nowhere Near as Much as Other Creditors
2 Chinese Military Fans Discuss Why Indonesia Bought Rafale Instead of J-10C
3
Chinese Cargo Planes Secretly Ferrying Supplies to Iran, Claim Online Sleuths
4
Indonesia Goes Nuclear, Taps China and Russia for Modular Reactors
5
Indonesia Begins $5.9 Billion Chinese EV Battery Project Despite Environment Fears
6 Trump’s Contradictory Iran Strategy Leaves U.S. Weaker After War’s End, Says Chinese Commentator

You Might Like

Key Foreign Policy Outcomes From the Opening Weekend of China’s Two Sessions

Foreign policy priorities featured more prominently at China’s annual legislative gathering that kicked off in Beijing over the weekend than in recent years. The event known as the Two Sessions is a joint ...

Who’s in Charge of China’s Foreign Policy, the Party or the State?

It’s been 29 days since anyone saw Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang in public. Why he’s gone missing is anyone’s guess. No one outside of a small number of elite Chinese leaders really ...

What to Watch for in Foreign Policy and Defense at China’s Two Sessions Gathering in Beijing

One of China’s largest and most important political events started in Beijing on Monday, where thousands of delegates from across the country meet for the annual parliamentary gathering. The event, known as the ...

China’s Two Sessions: Takeaways for the Global South

China’s annual Two Sessions political gathering outlined new measures to signal that the CPC is targeting economic hurdles at home and new challenges from the Trump administration. China stuck to a relatively optimistic 5% ...

What is The China-Global South Project?

Independent

The China-Global South Project is passionately independent, non-partisan and does not advocate for any country, company or culture.

News

A carefully curated selection of the day’s most important China-Global South stories. Updated 24 hours a day by human editors. No bots, no algorithms.

Analysis

Diverse, often unconventional insights from scholars, analysts, journalists and a variety of stakeholders in the China-Global South discourse.

Networking

A unique professional network of China-Africa scholars, analysts, journalists and other practioners from around the world.

More about CGSP