(Bloomberg) — One of Beijing’s most senior diplomats dismissed concern over the ouster of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in rare public comments from a Chinese official about the mysterious episode.
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“Personnel change is not uncommon when you see some European politicians are also sacked from their positions,” Fu Cong, ambassador to the European Union, said in an interview with Bloomberg News.
“If they have done something wrong, well, that’s the result but it doesn’t signify any change in our policy,” he added about his former boss. “I don’t think it has affected my work.”
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While it is common for European officials to be stripped of their duties over wrongdoing, they generally don’t disappear from public view altogether. Qin, who maintained a high profile while US ambassador in his previous role, has not been seen since his ouster.
Beijing has said little about the current whereabouts and status of the man who was removed after just seven months as foreign minister, the shortest tenure in China’s modern history. It initially said Qin would skip an international gathering of top diplomats due to his “physical condition,” then referred reporters to the Foreign Ministry website.
An investigation found Qin had an affair while serving as the US ambassador that could have endangered national security, the Wall Street Journal reported, though no inquiry has been announced.
Qin’s downfall came as Chinese leader Xi Jinping embarked on a sweeping purge of the military, which included sacking then defense minister Li Shangfu in October. That graft probe ensnared more than a dozen senior defense officials over some six months, in what may be China’s largest crackdown on its armed forces.
The lack of transparency about Qin and the situation in the military have added to investor worries about China’s opaque decision-making as the world’s second-largest economy grapples with a slowdown that’s now among the reasons the stock market is sliding.
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–With assistance from Jing Li.
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