China's foreign minister Qin Gang 'missing'? Rumours are rife as he was last seen on June 25

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang's sudden disappearance from the public eye has sparked massive speculation and raised questions over the highly secretive Chinese regime. Gang assumed the office in December 2022 after serving for a short period as envoy to the United States. He was last seen around four weeks ago during a multilateral meeting with officials from Sri Lanka, Vietnam, and Russia that took place in Beijing.

The Chinese Foreign Minister has mostly been vocal against the United States and its policies. Earlier, the relationship between Washington and Beijing reached an all-time low after a suspected Chinese spy balloon was spotted in North American airspace. Later, Gang and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a meeting to restore relations during Blinken's visit to Beijing last month.

One of the most popular faces of the Chinese government, Qin Gang has been a close aide of President Xi Jinping.  His sudden disappearance has come at a time when the Chinese government's anti-corruption campaign is underway. Gang last appeared in public on June 25.

What is Beijing's take on Qin Gang's absence?

In the last 24 days, Gang has skipped all the major events, including the foreign ministers meeting in Jakarta, last week. He was scheduled to meet European Union foreign policy head Joseph Borrell in Beijing, but due to his absence, the meeting was postponed. Beijing, however, has cited health-related issues as the reason behind Gang's long absence. The outspoken foreign minister's absence is now being filled by his predecessor, Wang Yi who is the Communist Party’s central committee foreign affairs commission chief.

Recently, when Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked about Qin Gang's absence, she said that she had 'no information on this’, reported BBC However, Ning maintained that even with Gang's long absence, the country's diplomatic activities were running normally.