Senior Chinese diplomat Sun Weidong has been removed from his post as vice minister of foreign affairs, according to a brief announcement published Tuesday by China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, citing a State Council decision. The notice did not provide any explanation or timeline for his dismissal, leaving the reason for his removal unclear. Sun’s last publicly recorded diplomatic engagements on the foreign ministry website were meetings on March 13 with the ambassadors of Brunei and Malaysia. Two days earlier, he had also met Pakistan’s ambassador to China, according to a post on X by diplomat Khalil Hashmi.
In China’s political system, sudden removals of senior officials often trigger speculation because they can signal disciplinary action, internal investigations, political reshuffling, or reassignment to another role. In some cases, such moves are later linked to corruption probes, though it is also possible Sun may simply be taking a different position or leaving public office. His notice was issued alongside the removal of An Lusheng, deputy director of the National Railway Administration.
The development comes amid President Xi Jinping’s long-running anti-corruption campaign, launched in 2013 and aimed at both senior and lower-level officials. Last year alone, China investigated over one million corruption cases and disciplined 938,000 people, including 69 provincial or ministerial-level officials.
Leave a Reply