China’s former foreign minister with a modest publishing role: Report

Officials told the publication that the demotion took place in the spring. One characterized it as a “fall from grace,” but also said, “liberating.”

“He won’t go to jail, but his career is over,” a source told the Post.

One of the officials told the media that the demotion was probably meant as a warning to others.

Qin was previously one of China’s most powerful figures and a trusted aide of Xi, rising to the position of foreign minister and member of China’s state council, the cabinet of China’s top officials.

His rise to the top was swift. He was known as one of the most prominent of a new generation of “wolf warrior” officials who brought an aggressive and confrontational style to China’s diplomacy.

But his downfall was just as swift. In June 2023, Qin disappeared from public view and officially resigned from his position in China’s state legislature in February.

Rumors circulated about what led to Qin’s dismissal, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that Qin was fired for having an extramarital affair during his tenure as China’s ambassador to the US, raising security concerns.

The Financial Times reported that the person Qin had an affair with was TV presenter Fu Xiaotian. During that time, Fu allegedly had a child via surrogate motherhood in the US, the report said.

Qin was replaced by his predecessor as foreign minister, veteran diplomat Wang Yi.

China’s embassy in the UK did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.