Chingang's Disappearance in Beijing

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

China's foreign minister, Chingang, went missing after his last public meeting with Russian Vice Foreign Minister on June the 25th. All that we were told was that he was unwell and even that transparency died away as the foreign ministry brushed aside all questions about where their boss was. A month later there was a tough statement that China's rubber stamp parliament had approved a new foreign minister's appointment and Chingang had lost his job.

Russia’s axeing of the Black Sea grain deal reveals a war machine running out of options. We explore how to get the deal back on track. A month-long mystery surrounding China’s absent foreign minister has grown deeper: now his memory is being scrubbed from official websites (10:15). And literary criticism has lost its claws—gaining a newfound civility that is bad for readers (16:37).

For full access to print, digital and audio editions of The Economist, try a free 30-day digital subscription by going to www.economist.com/intelligenceoffer