China fires its foreign minister and replaces him with one of the strongmen of the CCP

4 min

Overnight, a surprising change. In a complex context for international relations and a confrontation against its main economic rival, the United States, the Chinese state media announced the dismissal of the country’s chancellor, Qin Gang.

The news, as usually happens in this type of government system, was not accompanied by a reason that justified the departure of the Gang. The decision to remove the now former head of Chinese diplomacy was taken at an unusual meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, a kind of State Council.

The ratification of the revocation of the post was signed by the Chairman and General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party, Xi Jinping.

As a disciplinary choreography, minutes after the Gang’s dismissal, all his photographs and mentions that could be found on the Chinese Foreign Ministry page were removed from the website. Despite this, the Central Government page still mentions him as a cabinet-level state councilor, a possible sign that his political career is not quite over.

Qin Gang had not been seen in the media for almost a month. During this time he was absent from major events such as the ASEAN summit in Indonesia, citing “health reasons.” The last great public appearance of her in an official way was made in the context of the visit of the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to China.

Qin Gang was replaced by his predecessor Wang Yi, who spent almost a decade at the head of Foreign Affairs in Xi Jinping’s first two terms. Yi had been promoted to head of the Foreign Affairs Office of the Party Central Committee, which made him the most authoritative voice to discuss these issues in the Asian giant.

The rise of the Qin Gang in Chinese politics

The AP news agency recounts the Qing’s beginnings in Chinese diplomacy as a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. In this period he made a reputation at the cost of criticizing the West and always having a response in defense of the nation. This behavior created a style of spokesmanship known as the “warrior wolf,” the name of a nationally produced film franchise.

Some time later, he was promoted to head of the Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His performance in this position caught the attention of Xi, head of state and the ruling party of local politics. In July 2021, he was appointed as China’s ambassador to the United States until he was appointed as a minister in January of this year.

Bearing in mind that in the Asian giant the fundamental political guidelines are set by its single party, the communist, the Qing’s turnaround is not expected to have any repercussions for Beijing’s outside line. However, the replacement is followed by visits from senior US officials and important geopolitical strategists, such as former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who advocated for a better relationship between their countries.

Washington, calm and in line with the change in Chinese diplomacy

In this regard, two officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to the AP said they did not see a significant impact on the relationship between Washington and Beijing after the change of Gang. They even stated that the replacement would not affect the intention of the White House to carry out a high-level dialogue.

According to American experts quoted by Reuters, “the choice of Wang Yi is rational.” According to the director of the China program of the Stimson Center, a ‘think tank’ located in Washington, the change was made “To convey a sense of stability and credibility, China needs to select someone who is senior, authoritative and impeccable.”.

This is not the first time that the Chinese government has acted with a similar modus operandi. Last year, the Minister in Charge of Industries, Xiao Ya, was out of public view for almost a month, before it was revealed that he was carrying an investigation for alleged corruption on his shoulders.

With AP, Reuters and EFE