BEIJING - Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will skip an international gathering of top diplomats this week due to his “physical condition”, the government in Beijing said, making a rare disclosure about the health of an official. 

China’s top diplomat Wang Yi will instead attend the annual Asean gathering of foreign ministers in Indonesia.

The decision was announced by Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin at a regular press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday. He declined to elaborate on the nature of Mr Qin’s physical condition. 

The meetings that began in Jakarta on Tuesday would have put Mr Qin and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the same room for the first time since they met in Beijing last month. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will also be in attendance. 

China had not previously confirmed Mr Qin’s attendance at the event, but it is protocol for countries to send their foreign ministers.

Mr Qin has not been seen in public for 16 days, an absence which had drawn scrutiny in recent days. His last official engagement was on June 25, when he met officials from Sri Lanka, Russia and Vietnam, according to the Chinese Foreign Ministry website. He also participated that day in an event where Chinese Premier Li Qiang met Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley.  

Postponed event

The foreign minister had been expected to meet the European Union’s top diplomat Josep Borrell earlier this month, but China abruptly postponed the trip without giving details. Politico previously reported there was speculation in Brussels the foreign minister had health issues, prompting the delay.

South-east Asian nations are set to debate pressing regional security matters at the Asean summit, including civil conflict in Myanmar and China’s activity in the South China Sea. Tensions between the US and China over Taiwan will also likely feature, with Asian leaders worried over the prospect of an accident spiraling into a military conflict

Speaking about Mr Blinken’s visit on Friday, Mr Daniel Kritenbrink, the top US State Department official for Asia, said the US would use the trip to work with its Asean partners to advance a shared vision for the region. He added that Mr Blinken plans to raise Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. BLOOMBERG