Going, going, Gang
It’s official: Qin Gang is out as foreign minister.
On Tuesday, the National People's Congress Standing Committee (NPCSC) voted to remove Qin from his position.
ICYMI: Speculation about Qin, absent from the public eye since late June, has been swirling for weeks.
Out with the new, in with the old: Qin will be replaced as foreign minister by Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat and Qin’s predecessor in the role.
Wang’s reappointment is interesting:
- It suggests that Wang is viewed as the only figure with adequate chops to handle China’s critically important foreign policy portfolio.
- It may also be a temporary move until Beijing can vet a suitable successor.
So, what the heck happened to Qin? We think there are two likely explanations:
- He's suffering from an incapacitating health issue.
- He's under investigation for some kind of malfeasance.
Scrub-a-dub-dub: Previously, our money was on the former explanation, but since yesterday, the foreign ministry has purged all mentions of Qin from its website, suggesting he's is in hot water.
But...this is not clear cut. The NPCSC has the authority to remove Qin from his State Councilor role, but didn't.
- That likely means that the authorities have not concluded their investigation into Qin (assuming there is an investigation).
Get smart: Qin’s unexplained absence negatively impacted China’s diplomatic efforts.
- Tapping Wang to fill the gap allows Beijing to get back to business.
Get smarter: China faces a long and growing list of foreign policy challenges. Being down a man on the foreign policy bench is the last thing the country needed.