Qin Gang, China’s ambassador to US, may soon replace Wang Yi as Foreign Minister

Qin Gang, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, is on his way to replace Wang Yi as Chinese foreign minister in immediate future. The development comes after Qin Gang was selected to the all-powerful Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party while being an ambassador in Washington D.C., an unprecedented occurrence in itself. 

Qin’s ascension to the Chinese Communist Party’s all-powerful Central Committee puts him in the pole position as China’s next foreign minister, South China Morning Post reported. 

Qin Gang: Sharp diplomat but cold-shouldered by White House

Qin Gang is best known for his role as Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson during which his wolfish rhetoric gained the currency of notoriety. He has also served as Director-General of the Information Department and Protocol Department before his promotion to assistant and then vice foreign minister. 

Qin Gang arrived in the United States in July 2021 to take up his ambassadorial role for China. However, a Politico report published Thursday claimed that soon after Qin took charge of the Chinese embassy in Washington D.C., the White House had restricted Qin’s access to high-level U.S. officials for months. The White House insisted that senior officials regularly engaged with Qin. 

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In his first public speech in the United States as Chinese ambassador in September 2021, Qin criticised what he called “the U.S. wrong beliefs” and cautioned against violating Beijing’s “red line” on Taiwan and the South China Sea, or on its treatment of the Uyghur ethnic minority in Xinjiang province.

He pointed out China’s nuclear weapons capability and warned of “disastrous consequences” if the U.S. sought to suppress China using a “Cold war playbook.”

Qin’s promotion to Chinese Communist Party Central Committee places him close to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s inner circle while putting him on the path to become China's next foreign minister.

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