Mr. Qin Gang was dismissed from the position of Foreign Minister.

China's top legislature convened a session on July 25 to consider a draft amendment to the criminal law and a decision on official appointments and dismissals, China's Global Times reported.

Specifically, Mr. Qin Gang was removed from his position as Foreign Minister of China. Mr. Wang Yi – Mr. Qin’s predecessor – was appointed as Foreign Minister of China. The decision on July 25 did not touch Mr. Qin’s position as State Councilor.

Qin Gang attends a press conference held on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the National People's Congress (NPC) in Beijing, March 7, 2023. Photo: NBC 15 News

Born in 1966 in Tianjin, North China, Mr. Qin started working at the Chinese Foreign Ministry in 1988 and became attaché and third secretary of the ministry's Western Europe Department from 1992 to 1995.

He then served as third secretary and second secretary of the Chinese Embassy in the UK from 1995 to 1999, and then as second secretary and deputy director of the department. He was later appointed director of the Western European Affairs Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Mr. Qin was Counsellor of the Chinese Embassy in the UK from 2002 to 2005, after which he returned to China as the Ministry's spokesman from 2005 to 2010.

Mr. Qin was promoted to Director of the Information Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in 2011 after completing his term as minister of the Chinese Embassy in the UK from 2010 to 2011. In 2014, he became Director of the Protocol Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Mr. Qin was promoted to Vice Foreign Minister in 2018, and three years later became China's Ambassador to the United States. He arrived in the United States in July 2021 to take up the position of Chinese Ambassador.

Mr. Qin was appointed as China's Foreign Minister, according to a decision by the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) on December 30 last year, replacing Mr. Wang Yi, who transferred to serve as Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.

Mr. Wang Yi, a 70-year-old veteran diplomat, started his career in the Chinese Foreign Ministry in 1982, and became Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in Japan in 1989 and then Minister Counselor in April 1993.

Mr. Wang was then appointed Deputy Director of the Asian Affairs Department of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in 1994 and then Director of the Asian Affairs Department from 1995 to 1998.

Mr. Wang served as China's Vice Foreign Minister from 2001 to 2004 before he was appointed China's Ambassador to Japan.

Mr. Wang also served as Director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and Minister of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council from 2008 to 2013.

From 2013 to 2018, Mr. Wang served as Minister and Deputy Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and since 2018, he has been a State Councilor, member of the CPC Leading Group of the State Council, and Foreign Minister of China before Mr. Qin Gang takes over as Foreign Minister in 2022.

Mr. Wang Yi was appointed as Chinese Foreign Minister to replace Mr. Qin Gang. Photo: CGTN

The last time Mr. Tan appeared in public was on June 25 during a meeting with the foreign ministers of Russia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, according to media reports.

Responding to a question from the Global Times during his first press conference as Chinese Foreign Minister on the sidelines of the National People's Congress in March about some Western countries hyping up the possibility of China supplying weapons to Russia or the view that only China can end the crisis in Ukraine, Qin said China was neither the one who created the crisis nor the one directly involved.

“What has China done to be blamed, even punished and threatened? This is completely unacceptable,” Mr. Qin said.

Minh Duc (According to Global Times)

Source: https://www.nguoiduatin.vn/trung-quoc-ong-tan-cuong-bi-cho-thoi-chuc-bo-truong-ngoai-giao-a618890.html