China evaded questions about ousted foreign minister

Beijing, Jul 26 (EFE) .- China’s foreign ministry evaded questions about former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, dismissed without explanation Tuesday and replaced by predecessor Wang Yi.

Asked Wednesday about Qin’s deposition, Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Mao Ning referred at a press conference to the official statement published by state media and said “she has no information on the matter.”

She also did not say whether Wang’s appointment as Qin’s replacement is temporary or permanent.

“I know many of you are paying attention to the foreign minister’s appointment,” Mao said, adding that “Xinhua agency has already clearly explained.”

The agency did not reveal details Tuesday about Qin’s dismissal, decided by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Assembly.

The foreign affairs ministry deleted numerous mentions of the former foreign minister from its website in the last hours.

As of Tuesday, the ministry’s home page displayed various links on information about Qin’s diplomatic activity, which had already disappeared Wednesday morning.

In the “Activities of Ministry leaders” section, mentions of the former chancellor have also disappeared and in the website’s search service, the query “Qin Gang” does not return any results.

The removal of Qin, former Chinese ambassador to the United States, followed his blistering rise in December, when his firm and aggressive tone was awarded the position, kicking off months of frenetic activity with the country’s opening up after the end of the “zero Covid-19” policy.

The diplomat has not appeared in public since June 25, the day he met in Beijing with officials from Sri Lanka, Russia and Vietnam, and has since been absent from various diplomatic events, arousing all kinds of speculation about his whereabouts and situation. EFE

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