China's former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who was ousted from his position in July, had an extramarital affair while he was ambassador to the United States. Qin, a career diplomat and trusted aide of Chinese President Xi Jinping, was replaced without explanation in July after only seven months in the role.
Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Qin, 57, was found by a Communist Party investigation to have been engaged in an extramarital affair while serving as China's ambassador to the US. The investigation found that Qin had "engaged in an extramarital affair that led to the birth of a child in the US," the Wall Street Journal reported, citing two people.
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Qin was replaced by his predecessor Wang Yi, who is also the director of the Office of the ruling Communist Party's Central Foreign Affairs Commission, making him China's top diplomat. The probe on his dismissal is now focussing on whether his affair compromised national security.
Meanwhile, a senior Chinese foreign ministry official on Tuesday declined to comment on the matter, saying that she was "not aware" of the information. "As for the appointment and removal of the Chinese Foreign Minister, the Chinese side has released information before," CNN quoted spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry Mao Ning as saying in an apparent reference to the July announcement of his replacement. However, his replacement has still not been fully explained.
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The former foreign minister's removal raised concerns regarding the stability of the government which resurfaced again after the sudden absence of Defense Minister Li Shangfu. He has been "missing" for almost three weeks amid an ongoing crackdown on corruption in the military.
