Did Putin's tip lead Xi to purge his foreign minister?

 

 Did Putin's tip lead Xi to purge his foreign minister?

The affairs that motivate political decisions can sometimes be too dramatic or bizarre to believe.
 
China's sudden and mysterious purge of Foreign Minister Qin Gang this summer was likely triggered by a tipoff from Moscow, sources familiar with China-Russia relations have revealed.
 
It all started in late May, when a Chinese delegation was sent to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy was then riding strong momentum toward launching a counteroffensive against invading Russian forces and was about to make a high-profile appearance at the Group of Seven summit in Japan to appeal for international support.
 
Russia must have been frustrated with the momentum and perhaps even fearful that China, its reliable ally, might be shifting its stance to support the Ukrainian leader in the name of mediating peace.
 
Moscow finally took a big gamble by dropping an informational bomb on Beijing, tipping off upper echelons that there was a likelihood Qin was leaking information to the U.S., a source said. Moscow's "evidence" likely amounted to information about Qin's extramarital affair with a TV presenter who had connections in the U.S.