China dismisses Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong suddenly

BEIJING: (Web Desk) A senior Chinese diplomat, Sun Weidong, has been unexpectedly removed from his position as vice foreign minister, according to an official announcement.

The decision was disclosed by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China through a brief notice on its website. The statement confirmed that the move was approved by the country’s top authorities but did not provide any details regarding the timing or reasons behind the dismissal.

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Based on records from Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China, Sun’s most recent public engagements took place on March 13, when he held meetings with the ambassadors of Brunei and Malaysia in Beijing. Just days earlier, he had also met with Pakistan’s ambassador to discuss bilateral cooperation.

The sudden removal comes amid China’s broader anti-corruption drive. According to official data, the country investigated over one million corruption cases in the past year, resulting in disciplinary action against approximately 938,000 individuals.

The annual anti-corruption report indicates that those penalized included 69 officials at the provincial or ministerial level, more than 4,000 at the bureau level, around 35,000 at the district level, and roughly 125,000 at local administrative levels.