China Detains Senior Diplomat Who Aided U.S. Relations

Liu Jianchao, a senior Chinese diplomat widely seen as a potential foreign minister, has been taken away by authorities for questioning, according to people familiar with the matter.

- Chun Han Wong & Lingling Wei

A veteran of China's foreign service who also fought corruption as a Communist Party graftbuster, Liu has most recently been serving as head of the party's International Department, which oversees relations with foreign political parties and socialist states.

Liu was taken away after returning to Beijing in late July from a work trip overseas, according to the people familiar with the matter. The reason for his detention couldn't be determined.

Liu, 61 years old, couldn't be reached for comment. China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The International Department and the party's Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, its top internal watchdog, couldn't be reached for comment.

Liu's most recent public engagements were visits to Singapore, South Africa and Algeria late last month in his capacity as head of the International Department, according to official disclosures. The department's website continues to list Liu as its minister.

His absence could erode diplomatic expertise in Beijing, where Chinese leader Xi Jinping has increasingly favored political loyalty in personnel appointments, according to people close to China's foreign-policy establishment.

The detention of Liu marks the highest-level known probe involving a Chinese diplomat since Beijing ousted Qin Gang as foreign minister in 2023 after giving him the job just seven months earlier. An internal party investigation found that Qin had engaged in an extra-marital affair that lasted through his tenure as Beijing's ambassador to Washington, The Wall Street Journal reported.