BEIJING – China’s former foreign minister Qin Gang, who was ousted from his position in July, had an extramarital affair while he was ambassador to the United States, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with a briefing.

The report said Mr Qin was cooperating with the investigation, which was now focused on whether the affair, or Mr Qin’s conduct, had compromised China’s national security.

Senior Chinese officials were told that an internal Communist Party investigation found that Mr Qin had engaged in the affair throughout his tenure as China’s ambassador to the United States, the report said.

Two sources told the newspaper that the affair had resulted in the birth of a child in the US.

During a regular press briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, when asked about the article, said: “On the appointment and removal of the Chinese foreign minister, the Chinese side has released information before, and I am not aware of the other information you mentioned.”

Mr Qin was replaced by veteran diplomat Wang Yi in July as the foreign minister after a mysterious one-month absence from duties, barely half a year into the job.

He was China’s top envoy in Washington from July 2021 until January 2023. REUTERS