Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang replaced by former minister Wang Yi

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was removed from office on Tuesday and replaced by Communist Party Foreign Affairs Commissioner Wang Yi, state media reported.

Qin had taken up the foreign minister post in December, 2022, after a stint as envoy to the United States. However, he has not been seen in public since June 25. The Foreign Affairs Ministry said Qin had been off work due to unspecified health problems.

Speculations have remained adrift in the international sphere owing to the vagueness of the claims, as the Foreign ministry only declared Qin being absent from work after he missed a diplomatic summit in Indonesia. This has led to suspicion deepening among analysts and diplomats about transparency in decision-making in China.

Wang Yi, who is now standing in for Qin as Foreign Affairs minister, used to hold this post from 2018 to 2022.

According to Reuters, the Chinese foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment about the reasons behind the switch.

These developments have come at a time when the Chinese are looking at the “lowest point” in their ties with economic rivals the US. The two superpowers remain at odds on issues regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Taiwan, the self-ruled island, which Beijing calls its own.