Amidst increasing speculation, China's missing foreign minister, Qin Gang, has become the center of attention as rumors of an alleged extramarital affair with a journalist circulate on social media. While the Chinese government has attributed Qin's absence to health reasons, the lack of photographic evidence has fueled further speculation. Qin was expected to attend the ASEAN meeting but was replaced by Director of Foreign Affairs Commission Wang Yi. Rumors suggest that Qin had an affair with TV show host Fu Xiaotian, leading to speculation about the paternity of Fu's child. Overseas Chinese media and Mandarin language media have intensified the discussion, sharing videos and interviews that hint at a possible relationship between Qin and Fu.
If the rumors about Qin's affair prove true, Chinese President Xi Jinping will face a challenging situation. Xi promoted Qin to the role of foreign minister due to their close ties, and any revelations of infidelity could undermine Xi's efforts to promote cadres with a good track record. There are various possibilities regarding Qin's absence, including the potential combination of health issues and an affair, which might provide an opportunity for Xi to sideline Qin. Alternatively, all rumors could be baseless, and Qin might genuinely be unwell. The truth about Qin's fate will likely be revealed in the coming weeks.
In an interesting development, the Ministry of Public Security of China has launched a campaign to combat misinformation and enhance national cybersecurity. Chinese President Xi Jinping emphasized the importance of building a solid national network security barrier and managing the internet according to the law during a cybersecurity meeting.
During the ASEAN meeting in Jakarta, India's Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar, met with China's Wang Yi. Alongside discussing the border issue, Wang urged India to meet China halfway and expressed concerns about recent restrictive measures against Chinese companies in India. The targeted campaign against Chinese companies resembles the approach adopted by the United States, and China sees it as a consequence of its own actions.
In another development, a group of Chinese hackers successfully breached the internal Microsoft Office 365 email accounts of the US State Department and the Department of Commerce. The hackers gained access to the emails of US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who is scheduled to travel to China. This incident fits into China's negotiation tactics of keeping the opposing party off-balance and gaining leverage during negotiations.
Germany recently released its highly anticipated China strategy document, which emphasized the concept of "de-risking" but clarified that decoupling from China is not the objective. The strategy has disappointed both China hawks, who expected a tougher stance, and the Chinese themselves, who criticized it as protectionist. German business associations, however, have welcomed the de-risking approach, as it allows them to maintain ties with China without complete decoupling.
The UK's Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament has also released a report criticizing the government's inadequate strategy to deal with China. The report highlights a lack of resources dedicated to countering China's "whole-of-state" approach, with the focus diverted to other priorities. This report reveals a divergence of views within the UK government regarding tackling the challenges posed by China.
As these developments unfold, India is yet to lay out its own comprehensive China strategy, which will be closely watched in the coming days.
