China's foreign minister ousted after one-month absence

China on Tuesday replaced its foreign minister, Qin Gang, with his predecessor, Communist Party foreign affairs chief Wang Yi, less than seven months after he was appointed to the post. 

Qin was last publicly seen June 25, after he met in Beijing with officials from Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Russia. His absence has been without explanation. 

A career diplomat and ally of Chinese leader Xi Jinping, Qin assumed the role of foreign minister in December after briefly serving as the ambassador to the United States.

China's rubber-stamp parliament voted Tuesday on the decision to replace Qin, CNN reported, citing Chinese state media.

The reason for Qin's removal was not given, but Xi had authorized the move.

Madeleine Hubbard is an international correspondent for Just the News. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram.