The Mysterious Disappearance of China's Former Foreign Minister

Speculation continues to swirl around the sudden removal of China's former foreign minister, Qin Gang, as he remains absent from public view and his name has been scrubbed from the foreign ministry's website. While the ministry initially cited health reasons for his absence, this explanation was later removed from official transcripts. Analysts question whether health is the true reason for his removal, pointing to the lack of a deputy filling in for him and the erasure of his presence online. Qin's rapid rise through the ranks, attributed to his closeness to President Xi Jinping, raises the stakes for Xi if there is more to Qin's removal than health issues, exposing the vulnerability of Xi's centralized leadership.