Qin Gang, China’s Former Foreign Minister, Reportedly Holding Low-Profile Position Amid Ongoing Speculation Over His Disappearance

Over a year after former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang vanished from public view, sparking widespread speculation, the Chinese government remains silent on his whereabouts and fate. A recent report by The Washington Post, citing two former U.S. government officials, suggests that Qin has avoided jail and is now holding a nominal, low-ranking position at a publishing house under the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

This report adds a new layer to the ongoing mystery surrounding Qin’s disappearance, which had previously fueled rumors of severe punishment, including life imprisonment, suicide, or torture. According to The Washington Post, the 58-year-old Qin is now employed, at least on paper, by the World Affairs Press, a state-owned publishing house affiliated with the Foreign Ministry. One former official remarked, “He’s not going to jail, but his career is over.”

Before his abrupt disappearance in July 2023, Qin had risen rapidly through the ranks to become the youngest foreign minister since the founding of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). His sudden fall from grace has been attributed to an alleged affair with Fu Xiaotian, a well-known Chinese television journalist, with whom he reportedly had a child in the United States. There have also been unconfirmed rumors that the Chinese government suspected Fu of sharing state secrets with foreign intelligence agencies. Like Qin, Fu has not been seen in public for over a year.

In July, during the Third Plenum of the 20th Central Committee, the CCP officially approved Qin’s request to step down from his position as a member of the Central Committee. Earlier, in February, Qin had resigned as a parliamentary deputy. Despite this, The Washington Post report indicates that Qin’s current role at the World Affairs Press remains ambiguous. When a Post reporter visited the publishing house’s bookstore in Beijing, employees there claimed to have no knowledge of Qin’s employment. The Chinese Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.

The reliability of The Washington Post report, which is based on anonymous sources, has been questioned by some observers. Neil Thomas, a fellow on Chinese politics at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis, acknowledged that rumors about Qin’s current role have circulated for months but emphasized the credibility of the Post reporters. Others, like encryption security expert Charles Smith, expressed skepticism, joking on social media that Qin might be on an “extended fishing vacation.”

Rumors about Qin’s fate have been swirling since his disappearance. Last December, online outlet Politico reported that Qin had been arrested for undermining national security and had either been tortured to death or committed suicide. Such reports, however, remain unverified.

Yen-Ting, a frequent commentator on Chinese social and political issues, tweeted that Qin’s alleged demotion to a low-profile publishing role symbolizes how the CCP deals with its disgraced members—by consigning them to obscurity rather than through formal punishment. Kalpit A. Mankikar, a fellow in the Strategic Studies Program at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, compared Qin’s fate to that of Soviet politician Georgy Malenkov, who was exiled to manage a power plant after falling from Stalin’s favor.

The Washington Post report also highlighted Qin’s lack of diplomatic finesse compared to his more seasoned colleagues, noting his confrontational approach during a heated exchange with U.S. officials over Taiwan in 2022. Some commentators, like American columnist James Pinkerton, have suggested that the “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy, which Qin embodied, has backfired, contributing to China’s economic decline and driving Western corporations to relocate to friendlier countries.

As speculation continues over Qin’s fate, attention is also turning to his potential successor. Liu Jianchao, head of the CCP’s International Liaison Department, is considered a likely candidate to replace Wang Yi as foreign minister. Liu’s comparatively moderate tone and image could signal a shift away from the aggressive “Wolf Warrior” diplomacy that has characterized China’s foreign policy in recent years, as the country seeks to repair its relations with the U.S., Europe, and neighboring nations.