中国周二(7月25日)宣布秦刚被免去中国外交部长一职,改由他的前任王毅暂时接班。秦刚此前已经从公众视野中消失了整整一个月。外界依然在猜测秦刚被免职的真正原因,而专家和记者也发现中国的官方网站已经开始迅速移除与秦刚有关的信息。
中国的第十四届全国人大常委会第四次会议星期二在北京举行。会议决定免去秦刚的外交部部长之务,任命现年69岁的王毅为外交部部长。
这次会议没有宣布如何处理秦刚的另一项职务—国务委员。
芝加哥大学政治学教授杨大利在推特上表示,这或许证实了秦刚是由于身体原因才没有参加官方活动的说法,但也有可能是因为有关秦刚的调查还在进行当中。
但他补充:“不过,如果这真的和健康有关,那么给秦刚自行辞职的机会(和礼遇)会更说得过去。允许秦刚辞职也可以让最高领导层免于当初任命他而丢脸。”
However, if it were truly health-related, it would have made more sense for Qin to be given the opportunity (and courtesy) to resign on his own. Permitting Qin to resign would also have spared the top leadership the embarrassment of having appointed Qin in the first place. https://t.co/FLfGzggTnl
— Dali L. Yang (@Dali_Yang) July 25, 2023
耶鲁大学法学院蔡中曾中国中心法学研究员莫里兹·鲁道夫(Moritz Rudolf)也认为,对秦刚的免职是出于他的健康原因。
“甚至有可能这个安排只是暂时的,秦刚甚至可能最终返回中国外长的职位,” 他写道,“关键的问题依然是:秦刚在哪里的,他的情况怎么样。”
There is even a chance that the new arrangement is only temporary and Qin could even return to his post as 🇨🇳 foreign minister.The key question is still: Where is Qin and what is his situation.
— Moritz Rudolf (@MoritzRudolf) July 25, 2023
不过,不少专家认为秦刚的免职更像是政治清洗的结果,因为中国的官方网站已经移除了几乎所有和秦刚有关的信息。
亚洲协会(Asia Society)的中国政治研究员牛犇(Neil Thomas)认为:“有证据表明这的确是一场政治清洗。中国外交部正逐步把秦刚过去的活动从其网站上‘部领导活动’部分删除。”
Evidence is emerging suggesting this is indeed a political purgeMinistry of Foreign Affairs is gradually deleting Qin Gang%27s past activities from 部领导活动 section of its websiteBut activities of other past leaders are still thereCredit to @polijunkie_aus for noticing1/ https://t.co/PfAFPjTMTG
— Neil Thomas 牛犇 (@neilthomas123) July 25, 2023
《纽约时报》前驻华记者、现任外交政策特约记者黄安伟(Edward Wong)上个月刚刚前往中国报道了国务卿布林肯与秦刚的会面。对于中国删除秦刚过往活动资料的行为,他写道:“所以我们所目睹的秦刚和布林肯国务卿6月份在北京的会面从来没有发生过。他作为外长参加的其他公开会议也没有发生过。秦刚在这次事件(无论这到底算什么)之前在外交部有着长长的职业生涯,他还担任过外交部发言人。”
So Qin Gang’s meeting with @SecBlinken in Beijing in June, which we witnessed, never happened. Nor did any of his other public meetings as foreign minister. And Qin Gang had a long career in the foreign ministry and was a spokesperson before this episode (whatever it was). https://t.co/cVLIQsL1Lw
— Edward Wong (@ewong) July 25, 2023
美国有线电视新闻网CNN的主播吉姆·修托(Jim Sciutto)指出:“中共对历史的粉饰—从这件事回溯到六四—是苏联级别的,这也总是他们深深的不安的体现。”
The CCP’s airbrushing of history - from this to June 4th - is Soviet-level and a sign, as always, of deep insecurity. https://t.co/MMbQ6wLRT7
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) July 25, 2023
《纽约时报》记者傅才德(Mike Forsythe)也表示:“我知道我们用‘1984’做比喻的次数实在太多了,但当这样的事情发生的时候,你怎么能不用呢?秦刚正变成一个不存在的人。”
I know that collectively we make to many allusions to Orwell%27s "1984," but how can you not when this happens? Qin Gang becoming an unperson. https://t.co/q2tZ1i4s9r
— Mike Forsythe 傅才德 (@PekingMike) July 25, 2023
在政治隐喻小说《1984》里,大洋国政府通过更改官方记录操控民众的记忆。
美国独立记者陈嘉韵(Melissa Chan)指出,秦刚消失事件放在信息环境更加公开的美国是无法想象的。
“想象如果布林肯国务卿消失整整一个月,拜登什么也不说,民众好奇他是不是得了癌症还是别的,然后突然宣布布林肯被免职了。这就是中国。这很奇怪,也应该是一则大新闻。但这个世界已经常态化了专制集权,” 她写道。
Imagine if Secretary Blinken totally disappeared for a month and Biden wouldn’t talk about it and people wonder if he had cancer or something and then it’s just announced he’s gone. This is China. It is weird, and should’ve been bigger news but the world has normalized autocracy.
— Melissa Chan (@melissakchan) July 25, 2023