China on Tuesday sacked Foreign Minister Qin Gang and reappointed top diplomat Wang Yi to the post, ending the rare embarrassing drama involving a close confidant of President Xi Jinping in the tightly-run Communist country. The abrupt move, approved by the top decision-making body of China’s rubber-stamp parliament, comes as speculation swirled around the fate of Qin, an outspoken diplomat, who has not been seen in public for a month.
Qin, 57, was made the foreign minister in December last year, superseding many seniors, earning the distinction of a rising star in the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). He was one of the youngest appointees to the post in China's history.
Before his elevation, Xi had sent Qin as China’s Ambassador to the US to stabilise Beijing's stalled ties with Washington.
