Ex-Chinese FM Qin Gang loses seat at party top table but may escape punishment
Qin Gang, China's former foreign minister who disappeared from public view more than a year ago, has lost his seat as a member of the elite Central Committee of the ruling Communist Party.
The decision to remove Qin from the party's inner circle was made at the four-day meeting of the third plenary session and followed a resignation application from Qin, according to a communique from the meeting.
The statement referred to Qin as "comrade", suggesting he is not under criminal investigation and still is a party member.
Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.
Former defence minister Li Shangfu, who is facing corruption charges, and two other senior commanders have been expelled from the party.
There continues to be much speculation about the fate of Qin, China's shortest-serving foreign minister, whose disappearance the foreign ministry attributed to "health reasons".
Once seen as a trusted aide to President Xi Jinping, Qin rose rapidly through the ranks, becoming ambassador to the United States in July 2021, and 17 months later was elevated to foreign minister, the No 2 position in China's diplomatic apparatus.
The 58-year-old was ousted as foreign minister at a special session of the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee in July last year, just seven months after being promoted by Xi.
He was replaced by his predecessor, Wang Yi, 70, a member of the 24-member Politburo.
Qin was last seen in public when he met senior diplomats from Russia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka on June 25 last year.
He was then stripped of his position as a state councillor, a position that ranks above a cabinet minister, that October. He was allowed to resign as an NPC member in February ahead of this year's annual session of the national legislature.
His mysterious disappearance and Beijing's secretive handling have raised questions about the government's opaque decision making, becoming a major embarrassment and a political crisis for Xi.
The communique also said that Li, the former defence minister, Li Yuchao, the former rocket force chief, and Sun Jinming, the force's former chief of staff, had also been expelled from the party.
Li Shangfu was abruptly dismissed as the country's defence minister and as a state councillor in October after just seven months in the post.
The 66-year-old, who previously oversaw military procurement, was put under investigation in late August, accused of having accepted "large sums of money" to seek benefits for others while also allegedly bribing others.
The Politburo, the country's top decision-making body, announced corruption investigations last month into Li and his predecessor Wei Fenghe. Both will face criminal prosecution.
It was the first time in the history of the People's Liberation Army that corruption probes into two former defence ministers were made public on the same day.
Wei, 70, who stepped down from the Central Committee two years ago, held the position from 2018 to 2023.
Former defence minister Li Shangfu is under investigation for corruption. Photo: EPA-EFE alt=Former defence minister Li Shangfu is under investigation for corruption. Photo: EPA-EFE>
The communique announced that Sun, the former PLA Rocket Force chief of staff, had been expelled from the Communist Party and was facing a corruption investigation.
Li Yuchao and eight other senior commanders were dismissed from the NPC last December.
They are the latest senior PLA officers to be brought down in Xi's anti-graft campaign, in which the military has become a prime target.
In the communique, the party pledged to deepen its anti-corruption drive, adhere to "strict standards in governing the party" and promote "self-purification".
This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright © 2024 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
Copyright (c) 2024. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.