Mystery surrounds removal of Qin Gang, Foreign Minister Wang Yi is China’s most powerful diplomat
One can only marvel at the opaqueness of the dictatorial Chinese system as no one can pin-point the real reason behind Qin Gang's fall from grace.
Wang Yi is now the most powerful diplomat in China following President Xi Jinping's removal of Qin Gang from his positions as State Councilor and Foreign Minister on Tuesday. Wang Yi's portfolios span the party as Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission, the government as State Councilor, Special Representative for talks on the India-China border, and the Middle Kingdom as Foreign Minister.
Since Qin's dismissal, there have been numerous rumors behind his removal, including his significant disputes with Wang Yi on foreign policy and some racy rumors about his extramarital affairs. According to some observers, Qin's departure was caused by his "wolf warrior" diplomacy with the US.
The Hindustan Times has learned from diplomats residing in Beijing, New Delhi, and the US that no one truly knows why President Xi Jinping's hitherto dependable adviser was fired. Whether he will be given a second chance or permanently banished to the dog house.
What is known is that Wang, who has a particular interest in India, Japan, and Asia and can be both charming and direct when he wants to be, has taken Qin's place. On the other side, Qin vehemently backed Chinese aggressive tactics in the Xinjiang region and against Taiwan during his two years as China's ambassador to the US.
Despite Qin's absence from appearances in public since the beginning of July. It's neither India nor any other western state is certain of the politics behind his ouster. While Qin's removal's secret is currently hidden in the Communist Party of China's vaults, one can only awe at how opaque the system is given that no one actually knows why Qin was removed, leaving only well calculated rumors to circulate in the media.
This is very dissimilar from democratic India, where there is a deluge of information if any minister is removed from office by the head of the government, with even the smallest facts emerging in the media and the removal being discussed on news TV talk shows the same night.
The Quad countries will find it very difficult to understand China and how to deal with a growing Beijing as long as India or its allies are unable to obtain credible explanations for any major decisions taken by the Chinese regime. Because of the Chinese system's opacity, Beijing is a potent and unpredictable foe.
India has to invest in Beijing resources that can at least give a fair idea behind every choice the Xi Jinping government makes rather than analyzing the propaganda being spread by the official Chinese media. Are we aware of the decision-maker behind the 1962 invasion of India?
Do we understand the political justifications for PLA hostilities in Pangong Tso in May 2020? Do we know the inner Chinese story prior to the 2017 invasions on the Doklam plateau? President Xi Jinping will continue to astonish the democratic world until such time as India, or for that matter its friends, develop brain fog regarding how choices are made in China.
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