Published: 07:18 EDT, September 19, 2023 | Updated: 07:25 EDT, September 19, 2023
China’s former top envoy to Washington was abruptly ousted from his post as foreign minister after an internal Communist Party investigation found he fathered a child during an extramarital affair in the United States.
Qin Gang, 57, disappeared from public view in July and was stripped of his title as foreign minister without explanation.
But senior party officials were told that the former envoy to the United States was removed from his prestigious post as foreign minister for “lifestyle reasons,” a euphemism for sexual misconduct, after CCP investigators discovered he had a child with his mistress had fathered US.
Sources told Dem Wall Street Journal that the names of the woman and the child were not disclosed to party officials during the briefing.
It is also not known exactly how long the affair lasted, when it took place and how old the child is.
Qin Gang (pictured) reportedly fathered a child with a mistress in the US
In July he was suddenly fired without explanation
The sources added that the CCP is now examining whether the affair or other wrongdoing by the gang threatened China’s national security.
Intelligence officials from around the world were reportedly involved in the overthrow of Gang, who was removed from office after just seven months.
According to Western intelligence officials spoken to Intelligence onlineRussian spies told the CCP that Gang was at the center of an espionage operation on behalf of the United States.
Additionally, intelligence officials from Taiwan reportedly told the publication that the CCP is investigating at least two of his mistresses, one in the United States and one in the United Kingdom.
Gang was considered a measured and cautious diplomat in intelligence circles.
CCP leader Xi Jinping reportedly picked him to be China’s foreign minister just two years after he was named Beijing’s top envoy to the United States, an unusually quick promotion.
Xi Jinping has reportedly personally appointed Gang as China’s top diplomat
He was replaced by another career diplomat, Wang Yi (pictured).
Nevertheless, he was quickly replaced by another career diplomat, Wang Yi.
Yi, 69, has held several important positions, including as foreign minister from 2013 to 2022.
He also served as China’s envoy to Japan and headed the country’s Taiwan Affairs Office for several years.
The removal of the gang was part of a broader crackdown on CCP officials suspected of espionage.
Earlier this month, China’s Defense Minister Li Shangfu, whose primary responsibility is military relations with other countries, was taken away for questioning by CCP authorities.
And in July, both the political and official chiefs of China’s missile force, which controls the country’s strategic missiles, were fired without public explanation.
MailOnline has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment.
