Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who has not appeared in public for more than three weeks, will be absent from another important engagement.
When asked why the minister will not attend a planned meeting of BRICS countries, a Beijing Foreign Ministry spokeswoman told a daily press conference today that they had “no information” about it.
The question was deleted from a later published record. The ministry had previously handled questions about Qin in a similar way in recent days.
Last public consultation on June 25
The 57-year-old had his last public engagement in Beijing on June 25. He has not been seen since. Yesterday, his ministry said that top Chinese diplomat Wang Yi, who ranks above Qin in the hierarchy, would attend the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa meeting in Johannesburg next week. Wang had replaced the foreign minister on several occasions since his disappearance.
Speculations about possible extramarital affair
When asked about another meeting last week, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Qin was unable to attend due to health reasons. However, there was also speculation about a possible extramarital affair.
When asked about this, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Monday that she had “no information” about it. She did not repeat that the minister was ill.
Disappearances of senior officials, celebrities and businesspeople are a common occurrence in China. Often later they were involved in investigations or other controversies.
One of the best-known cases in recent years is that of former Chinese Interpol chief Meng Hongwei, who disappeared on a trip to China in 2018.