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Qin Gang: China's 'missing' foreign minister sparks guessing game

Fan Wang
BBC News
EPA Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang gestures after a press conference in Beijing, China, 07 March 2023.EPA
Qin Gang is one of the youngest appointees to the post of foreign minister in China's history

The lengthy absence from public view of China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang has sparked furious online speculation, while once again highlighting China's secrecy.

The 57-year-old has not been seen in public for 23 days - his last reported engagements were on 25 June.

Appointed to his post last December, Mr Qin was seen as a trusted aide of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

As one of the best known faces of the Chinese government, Mr Qin's prolonged absence has not only been scrutinised by diplomats and China watchers, but also ordinary Chinese people.

When asked about his whereabouts on Monday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said she had no information to provide.

Under China's largely opaque system, an abrupt disappearance of high-profile officials could be a sign of trouble. Ms Mao's empty response led to a fresh spike in the already fevered speculation about Mr Qin's absence and prompted deeper suspicion.

"Does she not know how to respond":[]}