China’s embattled former foreign minister steps down as member of the legislature

By SIMINA MISTREANU
Associated Press

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China’s former foreign minister, Qin Gang, who has been missing from public view since last June, has resigned as a delegate to the country’s top legislature, state media reported Tuesday. Qin was dismissed from office in July, in one of China’s biggest political surprises in years. According to a notice by the National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the Tianjin Municipal People’s Congress accepted his resignation as a delegate to the upcoming annual parliamentary session. The National People’s Congress, China’s rubber-stamp parliament, is set to convene for its annual session in early March in Beijing in a meeting that’s expected to be dominated by the country’s ailing economy.