Matthew Brazil
In June 2023, then-Foreign Minister of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) Qin Gang (秦刚) disappeared from public view. Speculation about his fate ensued, including rumors of torture and execution for being a Western spy. This year, however, reports have trickled out indicating that he remains alive and an active, if demoted, member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The first signs of leniency emerged months ago. Qin was referred to as “comrade” and allowed to resign, rather than be expelled, from his seats at the National People’s Congress in February and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Central Committee in July (Xinhua, February 27; Gov.cn, July 18). In late August. Western outlets including Intelligence Online and The Washington Post cited unnamed sources to report that the deposed minister was now a deputy director at World Affairs Press, a publishing arm under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Qin’s career work unit (Intelligence Online, 28 August; The Washington Post, 8 September).
If Qin is working at World Affairs Press, it appears to be a state secret, albeit an open one. The organization’s “Company Leadership (公司领导)” page shows only two deputy directors, Yan Nan (闫楠) and Gu Yu (谷雨) (World Affairs Press, accessed September 30). No page on the site includes Qin Gang, even those with photos of employee gatherings (World Affairs Press, accessed September 30). A reporter for The Washington Post who visited the World Affairs Bookshop in August was told by staff that they had not heard of Qin Gang being one of their own (The Washington Post, 8 September).
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