China has removed Qin Gang as foreign minister after a mysterious one-month absence barely half a year into the job.
Qin, a former aide to President Xi Jinping, took over the ministry in December but has not been seen in public since June 25.
The ministry has claimed he was off work for health reasons but gave no further details, prompting speculation over his disappearance.
Beijing on Tuesday confirmed that veteran diplomat Wang Yi would take over as his successor.
Wang, 68, previously held the post from 2018-2022 and filled in for Qin during his absence.
No reason was given for why Qin was removed from office.
The move comes amid a foreign backlash against China's increasingly aggressive foreign policy, of which Mr Qin was a chief proponent.
Ja Ian Chong, associate professor of political science at National University of Singapore, told Reuters that the lack of explanation for Qin’s removal “opens more questions than provides answers”.
“It also underscores the opacity and unpredictability, even arbitrariness in the current political system.”
Qin enjoyed a rapid ascent to the top of the Chinese Communist Party, which analysts have attributed to his closeness to Xi.
He served as foreign ministry spokesman twice between 2006-2014 and later as chief protocol officer from 2014-2018.
In July 2021, he became ambassador to the US after a period of tension between Washington and Beiing.
It is not uncommon for public officials to mysteriously vanish in China, with many subsequently reappearing as the subject of a criminal investigation.
Industry minister Xiao Yaqing disappeared from public view for nearly a month last year before it was revealed he was being investigated for corruption.
Qin was last seen in public on June 25, when he held talks with officials from Sri Lanka, Russia and Vietnam in Beijing.
China’s foreign ministry said on July 11 he was unable to attend a meeting in Indonesia for unspecified “health reasons”. It declined any further comment on his status.
It remains unclear whether Qin will retain his other role as a State Councillor.
