UK Foreign Secretary Delays Beijing Visit Due to Disappearance of Chinese Foreign Minister: Bloomberg

The United Kingdom's Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has postponed his visit to Beijing, originally scheduled for late July, indefinitely. Sources informed Bloomberg of this development.

According to the agency, one of the reasons for the delay is the prolonged absence from the public eye of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. Earlier, the Chinese Foreign Ministry attributed his absence to health issues.

"China and the UK are considering alternative dates for the visit," Bloomberg reported. London has declined to comment on the matter.

Qin Gang was last seen in public on June 25. Following that appearance, he met with officials from Russia, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. On July 11, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Wang Wenbin, stated that the minister would not be attending meetings in Jakarta for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations due to "health problems." Instead, Wang Yi, head of the Central Committee for Foreign Affairs of the Communist Party of China, attended the meeting in his place.