Former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has reportedly been ousted from his top diplomatic position due to allegations of an extramarital affair following an internal investigation by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
According to The Wall Street Journal, the investigation unveiled that during Qin’s tenure as the ambassador to Washington, he had an extramarital affair and fathered a child in the United States.
Qin’s 18-month period in Washington was a significant one, as he was the key point of contact for U.S.-China relations.
His time in D.C. coincided with a turbulent phase that saw a postponed trip by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken after the United States found out about Beijing launching a spy balloon into U.S. airspace.
While the U.S. military eventually took down the balloon near South Carolina in February, Qin was at the forefront of China’s attempt to convey that the balloon was merely a “civilian airship” that had veered off track. Qin’s meeting with Blinken in June was meant to defuse mounting pressure.
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According to The New York Post, social media has been filled with speculations surrounding Qin’s relationship with Fu Xiaotian, a Phoenix TV presenter. Social media users previously observed Fu’s post on X in April, where she showcased her baby son Er-Kin and a screenshot from her earlier interview with Qin.
Additional hints at a more personal connection between Qin and Fu were perceived by social media users based on the demeanor of the two during the interview. However, discussions regarding the closeness of Qin and Fu on China’s Weibo platform faced swift censorship.
Further adding to the mystery was Fu’s post from a residence believed to have been located in Los Angeles, where she celebrated the 100th day after her son’s birth.
Her note, which stated, “Oh, and just so you know, my son’s father is not American. We’re actually planning to return to our home country soon, and we’re extremely excited about it,” also fueled speculations.
Qin’s replacement has been confirmed as Wang Yi, who recently held discussions with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
This news article was partially created with the assistance of artificial intelligence and edited and fact-checked by a human editor.
