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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Amy Hawkins, Senior China correspondent

The growing list of Chinese elites who disappear but later resurface subdued

Qin Gang
Qin Gang has been replaced as foreign minister after an unexplained, month-long absence. Photograph: Mark R Cristino/EPA

Qin Gang, China’s erstwhile foreign minister, has officially been replaced by Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, in a surprise reshuffle that provided a sliver of clarity regarding Qin’s mysterious month-long absence. But many questions remain unanswered.

On Tuesday, the standing committee of China’s National People’s Congress convened a surprise session. The brief readout of the meeting stated that Qin had been removed as foreign minister, stalling, for now, the career of a former rising star of the Chinese Communist party (CCP) and close adviser to Xi Jinping, China’s leader.

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