Sexual scandals in China's political elite
Who. The former Chinese Foreign Minister disappeared from the public scene this summer and the authorities have not yet given an explanation for his dismissal.
That. This week American newspapers reveal that the reason could be an extramarital affair.
Because. The statutes of the Chinese Communist Party make it clear that members with families cannot “have inappropriate sexual relations.”
The bedroom troubles of China's bosses have filled many rosy pages inside and outside the Asian giant. Very high profiles who even aspired to govern the country have fallen due to corruption cases that also included a sexual scandal.. The scourge of the mafias, Bo Xilai, who was President Xi Jinping's most direct rival before he was elected supreme leader, knows this well.
A decade ago, Bo ended up sentenced to life in prison punctuated by accusations of abuse of power and embezzlement of funds. Although what public opinion remembers most are the many adventures that came to light with great actresses and singers of the moment.
In Beijing's political circles, conversations about mistresses hanging around the bigwigs of the Communist Party (CCP), which has always been an exclusive club of married men over 55, are common.. In its statutes, the party makes it clear that its members with families cannot “maintain inappropriate sexual relations with other people.”
In a still very traditional society, public representatives have to be neat both inside and outside the home. Although it is notorious that many circumvent this rule, if the skirt mess jumps into the media arena, the fall from grace is inevitable.
It happened recently to former Foreign Minister Qin Gang, protagonist of last summer's soap opera. Rumors broke out when he suddenly disappeared from the political scene. There was already talk on social media that, during his previous time as ambassador in Washington, Qin had had an extramarital relationship with a Chinese television presenter.. But in Beijing the usual silence prevailed. Today they continue without giving any explanation for the minister's dismissal.
This week, The Wall Street Journal and Financial Times, citing sources from both sides, revealed more details about Qin's relationship (he was married and had a son), stating that it had been the real reason for the purge.. The presenter Fu Xiaotian also had a baby last year through surrogacy in the US.
Four months before he disappeared, Qin, who was one of President Xi Jinping's protégés, was promoted to state councilor, a position he still holds, although he has not been seen in public for more than three months.. On the same day of the appointment, Fu published on Weibo, the Chinese Twitter, a photograph of his son raising his hand, accompanied by a phrase: “A victorious ending.”. Days later, when it was Qin's birthday, the presenter posted another post in which she wished the “anonymous father” a happy birthday.. The online rumors about the relationship between Qin and Fu took a backseat when, also in the summer, a photograph went viral showing a CCP member and senior executive of a state-owned company walking through Chengdu with a young woman wearing a striking pink dress. They were lovers.
He, Hu Jiyong, was immediately fired from the company and expelled from the party.. She, Dong Sijin, who was one of her employees, also lost her job.. But the news really was that the dress the woman was wearing had had so much strain that it had worn out.