Senior diplomat Liu Jianchao arrested

Chinese authorities have detained senior diplomat Liu Jianchao for a probe, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

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Mr Liu was taken away in late July after arriving in Beijing after an overseas trip, the paper said, adding the reason for the detention was unclear. Mr Liu heads the Communist Party's International Department, an agency for outreaches to foreign political parties and in parallel to China’s foreign ministry. He has held the role since May 2022.

Mr Liu was widely expected to take over from Wang Yi as Beijing's top diplomat. Mr Wang was reappointed as foreign minister in July 2023 after Qin Gang was abruptly ousted less than a year into his role. Mr Qin hasn’t been seen in public since his dismissal.

“It’s a big deal. Liu was seen as someone who could replace Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the future,” said Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy.