China removes ex-foreign, defense minister from ruling party

ANKARA

China's Communist Party has accepted the resignation of former Foreign Minister Qin Gang from its Central Committee, according to an official statement on Thursday.

The development comes after Qin's disappearance from public view for more than a year.

"The plenary session decided to accept Comrade Qin Gang’s resignation application and remove Comrade Qin Gang from his position as a member of the Central Committee," said the statement published by state-run Xinhua News.

The plenary session also expelled former Defense Minister Li Shangfu and former PLA Rocket Force commander Li Yuchao for "serious violations of discipline and law," a euphemism for corruption.

Additionally, Ding Xiangqun, Yu Lijun, and Yu Jihong were added as alternate members of the Central Committee.

Qin, a former top diplomat, had been mysteriously missing since June last year before being suddenly removed. President Xi Jinping subsequently reinstated Wang Yi to lead China’s Foreign Ministry.

Last October, Qin was stripped of his post as a state councilor but remained a member of the 205-strong Communist Party Central Committee.

Li also went missing in late August last year and was removed from the ministry last December before being expelled from the commission headed by Xi.

Meanwhile, the four-day policy-oriented third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded in Beijing and approved a plan to fully establish a high-level socialist market economic system by 2035.

"By 2035, a high-level socialist market economic system will be fully established, the socialist system with Chinese characteristics will be further improved, the modernization of the national governance system and governance capacity will be basically achieved, and socialist modernization will be basically achieved, laying a solid foundation for building a socialist modern power in an all-round way by the middle of this century," the statement said.

The meeting also discussed the modernization of national defense and the army, emphasizing its importance to China's overall modernization.

"We must improve the leadership and management system and mechanism of the people's army, deepen the reform of the joint combat system, and deepen cross-military and local reforms," it said.

* Writing by Islamuddin Sajid