Career diplomat takes over CPC’s international department

The party’s International Department (CPCID) updated its website to name Mr Liu as its minister, a media outlet run by the Beijing Communist Youth League reported on Sept 30.

- Yew Lun Tian Senior Correspondent

He replaces Mr Liu Jianchao, an urbane diplomat known for his charm with foreign counterparts, who has not been seen in public since late July and was reportedly detained shortly after returning from a trip to Africa.

The CPCID manages the party’s ties with foreign political parties and serves as the main channel of contact with other Communist states like North Korea. Its work complements that of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which handles state-to-state diplomacy, by giving the party a direct line to political parties abroad, including those that are not in power.