China reappoints Wang Yi as foreign minister

STORY: China on Tuesday named veteran diplomat Wang Yi as its new foreign minister, replacing Qin Gang after a mysterious one-month absence from duties.

Wang is in fact not new to the job – he held the post from 2013 to 2022, witnessing US-China ties falling to an all-time low.

Days before the shake-up, Wang substituted Qin to attend the ASEAN summit, after the ministry claimed Qin would skip the meeting due to health concerns.

The whereabouts of Qin, who only assumed the role in December, remain a mystery.

His high-profile meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in June was one of his last public appearances. He met with other visiting diplomats on June 25 and then disappeared from the public eye.

Qin was once considered a rising star and leader Xi Jinping’s protégé.

He has overseen many of Xi’s contacts with foreign leaders and was posted to Washington as ambassador in 2021 – following the tit-for-tat spat between the two superpowers.

Chinese state media did not say why Qin was removed but reported that Xi signed a presidential order to make the decision effective.

The foreign ministry did not respond to Reuters' request for comment.

Qin’s disappearance is not the first unexplained absence of a Chinese official.

Industry minister Xiao Yaqing vanished from public view for nearly a month last year before it was revealed he was being investigated for corruption.

So what will it mean for the U.S.-China relations with Wang Yi back at the helm?

Some analysts believed a familiar face to Washington does not help improve ties. And the sudden removal of an official showed the “unpredictability and opacity” of the Chinese system.

While some described Wang as a diplomat with sway who brings more credibility and stability.