China’s former Foreign Minister Qin Gang. Reuters File
The Wall Street Journal claimed on Tuesday that China’s former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who was fired in July, had an extramarital affair while serving as ambassador to the United States, citing sources familiar with the briefing.
According to the report, Qin was cooperating with the probe, which was now focusing on whether the affair or Qin’s conduct had jeopardised China’s national security.
According to the report, senior Chinese officials were told that an internal Communist Party probe discovered Qin participated in the affair during his stint as China’s ambassador to the United States. According to two sources, the affair resulted in the birth of a child in the United States.
During a regular press briefing on Tuesday, China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning was asked about the article and said: “On the appointment and removal of the Chinese foreign minister, the Chinese side has released information before and I am not aware of the other information you mentioned”.
Qin was replaced by veteran diplomat Wang Yi in July as the foreign minister after a mysterious one-month absence from duties barely half a year into the job.
He was China’s top envoy in Washington from July 2021 until January this year.