WASHINGTON — This is baby mama drama on the international stage.
Former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has been fired from his post as Beijing’s top diplomat after an internal investigation by the Chinese Communist Party revealed he fathered a love child in the United States while serving as ambassador to Washington, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
Qin’s affair with the child’s mother, believed to be extramarital on his part, reportedly lasted throughout his 18-month tenure in DC, where he was the diplomat of choice for relations with the US – China’s arch-enemy.
The identities of Qin’s mistress and child are not publicly known, but speculation has swirled online for months about her relationship with Cambridge-educated Phoenix TV presenter Fu Xiaotian, who disappeared from public view around the same time Qin was last seen in his official capacity.
Once a trusted aide to Xi, Qin moved back to Beijing from Washington last January when he was appointed foreign minister, China’s government equivalent to the US secretary of state.
Qin Gang with his alleged mistress Fu Xiaotian.YouTube / Talk to World Leaders
Qin is considered a confidant of Chinese President Xi Jinping.AP Photo/Andy Wong
Although Qin’s tenure lasted only a few months, he oversaw US-China relations during a tense period marked by a postponed visit by Secretary of State Antony Blinken following Washington’s discovery that Beijing had launched spy balloons into American airspace.
After President Biden ordered the military to shoot down a balloon off the coast of South Carolina last February, Qin led a Chinese messaging campaign denying the ship was deliberately sent across the US, but was unsuccessful in convincing Washington that it was a “civilian airship” that had gone astray.
In one of his last official acts last June, Qin met with Blinken during the secretary’s rescheduled visit to Beijing, aimed at easing the worrisome US-China tensions that worry much of the world.
Qin meets with Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Beijing on June 18, 2023. Photo by LEAH MILLIS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
China’s foreign ministry initially cited health concerns as the reason for Qin’s absence, but whispers grew louder when Xi stripped Qin of his title in July without explanation.
Social media operatives pointed out that Fu posted a photo of her baby boy Er-Kin on X, formerly known as Twitter, on April 10, along with screenshots from her interview with Gang the previous month on her show “Talking to World Leaders.”
Others noted the interview seemed flirtatious, with the pair making more eye contact than usual. All discussion on the Chinese social media platform Weibo about the couple’s casual behavior was swiftly censored.
Fu is also believed to have a personal Instagram account, where he posted a picture celebrating his son’s 100th day of life on March 4. The photos appear to have been posted at a Los Angeles rental residence.
The nationality of Qin’s alleged lover’s son is unknown.Thomas Peter/Pool Photo via AP, File
“Oh, and just so you know, my son’s father is not American. We are actually planning to go back to our home country soon, and we are very excited about it!” he wrote on social media.
CCP officials were briefed in August on the reason for Qin’s dismissal, the Journal reported, with investigators confirming the baby was born in the US.
Although the Constitution holds that anyone born in America is guaranteed citizenship, babies born to foreign diplomats are generally exempt.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Mao Ning did not address the bomb report during his daily press briefing on Tuesday, nor did reporters in Beijing ask about it, according to the transcript.
China’s foreign and defense ministries did not respond to The Post’s request for comment on Tuesday.
The resulting scandal and bloodline could fuel blackmail and other national security concerns for China as Xi tries to crack down on any perceived weakness among his senior leadership and Beijing’s relationship with the US becomes more strained.
Two weeks ago, Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu was brought in for questioning and is believed to be under investigation by the CCP, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
Like Qin, Li disappeared from public view in August and has not been seen in public since. Like Qin, Li is predicted to also lose his title at the end of the reported investigation.
China’s foreign and defense ministries did not respond to The Post’s request for comment on Tuesday.
Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu is believed to be under investigation by the CCP. Photo by Roslan RAHMAN / AFP) (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images
The apparent turmoil among Chinese foreign affairs and military officials comes as Washington and Beijing consider potential ways to ease the strained relationship.
While Xi ruled out a trip to New York for the UN General Assembly this week, US officials hope the Chinese president will come to San Francisco in November for a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders.
Both US and Chinese officials in statements have expressed interest in smoothing relations, potentially through a separate summit between Biden and Xi in the US.
China’s new Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Malta on September 16, 2023. Lian Yi/Xinhua via AP
Meanwhile, Qin has been replaced as foreign minister by Wang Yi, who met at the weekend with US national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Malta.
The pair discussed “key issues in US-China bilateral relations, global and regional security issues, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and cross-[Taiwan] The strait issue,” according to the State Department.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
