China: Wang Yi returns as FM after Qin Gang sacked

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By Our Special Correspondent

New Delhi, July 25: China has re-appointed Wang Yi as foreign minister of the Communist nation after sacking Qin Gang, who had not been seen in public for past two weeks. The move has come amid rumour mill buzzing about upheavals within the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

Qin was being ascribed to be suffering from health issues, a standard explanation within the CCP to purges undertaken by the ruling brass of China. In the absence of Qin, Wang had been meeting the foreign dignitaries. Wang had also attended the ASEAN meeting of the foreign ministers recently. Qin was the Chinese ambassador to the US when he was called after the CCP National Congress following which President Xi Jinping had taken the third term.

While Qin was said to be soft-natured, Wang has been a stern face of China. Qin’s short term in the office coincided with fast-paced deterioration of China’s relations with the US. The shooting down of alleged spy balloons set the bilateral relations with the US downhills. Qin had taken part in the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in India recently.

Qin was last seen in the public on June 25 this year. Experts have stated that the crisis surrounding Qin is the biggest faced by Xi in his third term. Incidentally, the official statement has not ascribed any reason for the ouster of Qin.

While Qin’s term saw growing isolation of China in the western world, close economic ally Germany also recently came out with a hard-hitting strategy paper, terming Beijing a rival, while listing growing hostilities for the German firms operating in China.

Wang on the other hand has been the head of the foreign affairs department of the CCP and occupied a higher position than the foreign minister. He had been the man trusted by Xi as he had launched an outreach to Europe to mend ties with Germany and France and others in the recent months.

Wang also had met Henry Kissinger when he visited China last week. The decision to replace Qin came at the meeting of the standing committee of the CCP. While China is battling an economic implosion amid growing chorus for de-coupling by the western nations, Wang is expected to repair the ties with key economic powers.

Wang is also well-known in India, as he had last visited New Delhi a couple of years ago amid the tense border situation. India will be hosting the G20 Summit in September during which Xi is also expected to attend even while the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit was held by India in the virtual mode.