'It's an abnormal, unpredictable state'

Desmond Shum and his wife Whitney Duan were closely associated with China's top cadres as business people. But then Duan disappeared without a trace; she was one of China's wealthiest women at the time. Fabian Peltsch spoke with Shum about how China's leadership deliberately creates an atmosphere of fear through opacity and what the recent disappearance of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang means for the party apparatus.

Last updated: 24. July 2025