China has announced the replacement of Foreign Minister Qin Gang with his predecessor, Wang Yi, who previously served in the role for almost a decade.
The decision was confirmed on Tuesday during a meeting of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee. As well as replacing Qin, the committee appointed a new governor of the People’s Bank of China. The gathering appeared to have been expedited as the body typically convenes at the very end of the month.
Neither the committee nor the Chinese Foreign Ministry provided any explanation for the reshuffle.
The move means Qin has become China’s shortest-serving foreign minister, with his tenure lasting less than seven months. He had already been absent from public view for around a month, and skipped a meeting of leading diplomats from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) earlier in July for what were described as “health reasons.”