New Delhi: In a shocking development, China on Tuesday reappointed Wang Yi as the country's foreign minister replacing Qin Gang who has been missing for almost a month now.
According to the Chinese mouthpiece global times, China's top legislature convened a session on Tuesday, 25 July to review a draft criminal law amendment and a decision on official appointment and removal. Qin Gang has been removed from his position as Foreign Minister and Wang Yi has been appointed as Foreign Minister.
Qin Gang considered a confidante of President Xi Jinping, was appointed foreign minister in December 2022. His disappearance has raised eyebrows in the international community. Qin has not been seen in public since June 25, when he met with Russia's deputy foreign minister Andrey Rudenko in Beijing.
The Chinese foreign ministry has cited health reasons for Qin's absence and maintained throughout his absence that China's diplomacy is functioning as normal. So far no concrete answers have been provided by the country's foreign ministry on Qin's sudden disappearance. Meanwhile, in Qin's absence, top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi has taken on some of his responsibilities. Wang is currently in Africa to attend a BRICS meeting on security affairs in Johannesburg. On Monday, Wang met India's National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval, and discussed the border issue at length.
During the meeting, Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, called for concrete policies to be implemented in the consensus on stabilizing China-India ties. Wang noted that both sides should adhere to the strategic judgment made by the two heads of state and said, "China and India pose no threat but offer development opportunities for each other". Wang Yi was appointed as minister of Foreign Affairs in March 2013 and appointed as state councilor in March 2018. Wang was appointed as a member of the 18th Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo in November 2012 and was also a member of the 17th CCP Central Committee from 2007-2012.
