Missing In Action! Where is China’s foreign minister Qin Gang?

Where is Qin Gang? That’s the question everyone is asking about China’s foreign minister. On Tuesday, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Qin would not be able to attend a meet in Indonesia this week over ‘health reasons’ and that Wang Yi would represent China in his stead. Let’s take a closer look: Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China are scheduled to meet on Thursday, before Friday’s East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum. “State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang cannot attend this ASEAN ministerial meeting because of health reasons,” spokesman Wang Wenbin said without elaborating.

As per Bloomberg, this is a rare comment from Beijing regarding the health of an official.

 The Economic Times noted that China does not often give details Post about the health of its leaders. The piece noted that President Xi Jinping only disclosed his vaccination status in July 2022 –  the last of G20 leaders. Qin, 57, took over from Wang as foreign minister in December. [caption id=“attachment_12755472” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, second left, meets with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi, not in photo, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, China. AP[/caption] He was last seen in public on 25 June in Beijing after meeting officials from Sri Lanka, Russia and Vietnam. According to Bloomberg, Qin also took part in an event where Chinese premier Li Qiang met Barbados prime minister Mia Amor Mottley. According to The Economic Times, a lunch meet between Qin and ambassadors from the European Union was also cancelled abrubtly in late June. Qin’s absence had not gone unnoticed. The foreign ministry spokesperson, asked last Friday about an article in US political news website Politico that cited speculation that health issues may be behind Qin’s absence, said he had “not heard about” the report. Qin was supposed to meet European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell last week in Beijing but the meeting was pushed back after China informed the EU that the dates were “no longer possible”, an EU spokesperson said. The EU was informed of the postponement just two days before Borrell’s scheduled arrival on 5 July, according to a source familiar with the plans. US secretary of state Antony Blinken is also due to attend the meetings in Jakarta this week, presenting another opportunity for talks with China as Washington seeks to put a floor under souring relations between the big powers. Blinken met Qin and Wang in Beijing last month, the first visit to China by a US secretary of state in five years. Wang, who is the foreign policy chief for the Chinese Communist Party, ranks above Qin, who as the foreign minister is the government’s foreign policy chief. As per Al Jazeera, Qin prior to Blinken’s visit demanded that Washington respect China’s ‘core concerns’ like Taiwan and “stop interfering in China’s internal affairs, and stop harming China’s sovereignty, security and development interests in the name of competition”, The outlet quoted the state department as saying Blinken focussed on the need for communication “to avoid miscalculation and conflict” and that Washington would continue raising areas of concern as well as cooperation. What does this mean? Experts aren’t quite sure. Economic Times noted that Qin’s extended absence has sparked speculation and raised questions about the reasons behind it. “As China’s foreign policy continues to play a significant role in global affairs, particularly in its relations with the European Union and ASEAN, the uncertainty surrounding Qin’s absence has garnered attention and curiosity. Further information from official sources will be awaited to provide clarity on the situation,” the piece noted. China’s tightly-controlled, highly opaque political system and the lack of a free press frequently give way to speculation surrounding the disappearance of leading figures, as when former Chinese president Hu Jintao was guided off stage without explanation at the twice-a-decade congress of China’s ruling Communist Party. However, while personal rivalries and scandals over corruption are not uncommon, the party — at least outwardly — remains largely united behind Xi. [caption id=“attachment_12767002” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Xi Jinping has tightened his grip on China. File Photo[/caption] China has sought to engage the 10 members of ASEAN, mainly through trade, as part of a campaign to dilute US influence in the region and challenge the American-led liberal world order. However, China’s influence has been limited by its aggressive assertion of its claim to virtually all of the South China Sea. ASEAN members Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines exercise overlapping claims and have largely welcomed the United States military presence in the region. China denounces US involvement as outside meddling. The foreign ministers’ meeting is a “platform to enhance mutual trust and cooperation," Wang Wenbin told reporters. “China hopes this meeting will help build more consensus, make political preparation for a fruitful ASEAN leaders’ summit in September, and promote regional peace, stability and prosperity." Qin, 57, rose to prominence as an outspoken ministry spokesperson who popularised an aggressive in-your-face style that came to be known as “wolf warrior diplomacy," after the name of a nationalistic Chinese movie franchise. He previously served as ambassador to the United States and head of protocol for the ministry. In March, Qin warned Washington of “conflict and confrontation”, striking a combative tone amid conflicts over Taiwan, COVID-19 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. That followed an accusation by leader Xi Jinping that Western governments led by the US wanted to encircle and suppress China. With inputs from agencies