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Qin Gang’s Unprecedented Rapid Rise in Chinese Politics: A Master of Sharp Rhetoric

The 14th Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress held its fourth meeting on Tuesday, July 25, in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. The meeting decided to relieve Qin Gang of his concurrent post as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Qin Gang currently remains as a State Councilor, with his future trajectory still to be observed.

Having worked in the Chinese diplomatic system for over thirty years, Qin Gang has twice served as the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, known for his sharp rhetoric, leaving behind a wealth of notable quotations. From the end of last year, Qin Gang rapidly climbed the ranks within just three months from a deputy department level to becoming part of the party and national leadership. His quick rise is rather rare in Chinese politics.

Qin Gang has worked in the Chinese diplomatic system for over thirty years. He has been successively promoted last year. As the then Chinese Ambassador to the United States, he was first elected as a central committee member at the 20th CPC National Congress, then officially took over as Foreign Minister at the end of December, becoming the youngest Foreign Minister at the time of appointment since Zhou Enlai in New China, at the age of 56.

Qin Gang was again appointed as a State Councilor in March of this year, belonging to the sub-national level, becoming part of the “party and national leaders” and also becoming the youngest national leader. This implies that Qin Gang has been promoted twice within three months, which is very uncommon in Chinese politics. In comparison, it took Wang Yi five years as Foreign Minister before being promoted to State Councilor.

Qin Gang, known for his sharp rhetoric, served twice as the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2008, at a press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, when asked about the American band Guns N’Roses releasing a new album called “Chinese Democracy”, Qin Gang disdainfully said: “As far as I know, many people don’t like this kind of music because it’s too noisy.” He then told the reporter: “I suppose you are a mature adult now, aren’t you?”

In 2014, in response to Japan’s criticism of China’s increasing military expenditure, Qin Gang retorted, “The People’s Liberation Army of China is not a Boy Scouts troop that only carries red-tasseled spears. Some people abroad always hope that China remains a perennial Boy Scouts. If so, who is going to maintain national security?! How to maintain world peace?! If so, will China be peaceful? Will the region be stable? Will the world be at peace?”

During the two sessions in March of this year, Qin Gang, as the newly appointed Foreign Minister, attended his first press conference, leaving behind many memorable quotes, including “If the U.S. does not hit the brakes and continues to speed down the wrong road, even the most guardrails won’t prevent a derailment and overturn. Asking China not to fight back or respond to insults is impossible!”

Qin Gang also stated, “Suppression and containment will not make the U.S. great, nor will it stop China’s march toward rejuvenation,” and “If the Taiwan issue is not handled well, Sino-US relations will be shaken.”

In response to a question about the Taiwan Strait issue, Qin Gang specially took out a pre-prepared copy of the “Constitution of the People’s Republic of China” and read out two sentences from the preamble of the Chinese constitution: “Taiwan is an inseparable part of the sacred territory of the People’s Republic of China. The great cause of unifying the motherland is the sacred duty of all Chinese people, including our compatriots in Taiwan,” emphasizing “The resolution of the Taiwan issue is the business of the Chinese people themselves, and no foreign country has the right to interfere.”

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