BEIJING: Chinese media reported that the country's foreign minister has been fired after a month-long disappearance. Foreign Minister Qin Gang was removed from the ministry. Qin's predecessor, Wang Yi, has been reinstated as minister.

Although the issued order states that Qin was removed, the reason behind this is not in the order signed by Xi Jinping. The fact that there was no news of Quinn for almost a month was a topic of discussion in the international media. The administration explained that Quinn was removed due to health issues. But there were media reports that Quinn had an affair with Hong Kong's Phoenix TV anchor Fu Xiaoxian, with whom he had a child. Fu Xiaoxian holds American citizenship. It is reported that the disciplinary committee of the Communist Party questioned Quinn in this regard. Quinn took over as foreign minister in December.