US ambassador Kevin Rudd questions disappearance of China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang
China’s foreign minister has not been seen for almost a month, and as salacious rumours run wild, Kevin Rudd has weighed in to question the official explanation.
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Exclusive: Kevin Rudd has raised doubts about the Chinese government’s explanation for the mysterious disappearance of its foreign minister, who has not been seen for almost a month.
Appearing at a Hawaii research institute earlier this week, Australia’s US ambassador also urged Taiwan to lift its defence spending as “time is running out” before China moves to reclaim the territory, and revealed his frustration with the US abandoning a major trade deal.
Dr Rudd said it was “unusual” that Qin Gang, one of China’s “wolf warrior” diplomats, had not been seen in public since June 25.
Mr Qin rose rapidly through the ranks and was appointed by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the senior post last December. But he has missed high-level gatherings including last week’s meeting of foreign ministers in Indonesia, amid rumours of an extramarital affair.
Chinese officials have repeatedly refused to answer questions, citing “health reasons” when asked about his apparent disappearance.
Dr Rudd told the Pacific Forum: “The honest answer in terms of Qin Gang, the Chinese foreign minister – none of us know. We wish him well if he’s been ill.”
“I knew him when he was ambassador in Washington, I knew him before that when he was at the Chinese foreign ministry,” he said.
“It is unusual, and if he is ill then we wish him well.”
The Times of London reported earlier this month that one of Hong Kong’s most prominent TV presenters had also disappeared from public view along with her son, as rumours swirled on social media that she was having an affair with Mr Qin.
When asked about those claims, a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said: “I’m unaware of what you said.”
Dr Rudd also used his appearance to encourage Taiwan to “think seriously about their level of military outlays” given Beijing “reserves the right … to use military force if it doesn’t see sufficient progress in the direction of reunification”.
“This is no longer some distant prospect … Time is running out,” he said.
“Given the material nature of the challenge across the Taiwan Strait, I think all of us would encourage Taiwan to do more, given our collective objective is to deter … to avoid crisis, conflict and war.”
Pentagon official Ely Ratner also encouraged increased deterrence during a congressional hearing on Friday, as he said that conflict with China was “neither imminent nor inevitable”.
Dr Rudd, in a 75-minute appearance at the think tank, also called on the US to “re-engage with the Trans-Pacific Partnership”, one of the world’s biggest free trade deals which Donald Trump abandoned as president.
But he acknowledged Australia had to “simply accept that and park that reality”.
“We’re political realists. We understand the TPP is not the flavour of the month in US politics, either Republican or Democrat, so no point us preaching purity from the pulpit when there’s no one in the congregation,” the former prime minister said.
Originally published as US ambassador Kevin Rudd questions disappearance of China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang
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