Foreign Minister Qin Gang will not attend a diplomatic gathering in Indonesia this week for health reasons, a spokesman for his ministry said on Tuesday.

Top diplomat Wang Yi would represent China at the meetings in Jakarta instead, the spokesman, Wang Wenbin, told a regular briefing.

Foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China are scheduled to meet on Thursday, before Friday's East Asia Summit and Asean Regional Forum.

"State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang cannot attend this Asean ministerial meeting because of health reasons," spokesman Wang said.

He did not elaborate.

Qin, 57, took over from Wang Yi as foreign minister in December and was last seen in public on June 25 in Beijing after meeting officials from Sri Lanka, Russia and Vietnam. (Reuters)