China detains Liu Jaianchao, seen as future foreign minister, on return from abroad

Liu Jianchao, a top Chinese diplomat and head of the Communist Party’s foreign relations department, has been detained for questioning, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday.

The 61-year-old was taken into custody in late July after returning to Beijing from an overseas trip, the paper said, citing people familiar with the matter.

Liu, seen as a possible future foreign minister and a close ally of President Xi Jinping, has led the Communist Party’s body managing ties with foreign political parties since 2022. In that role, he has visited more than 20 countries and met officials from over 160 nations. His meetings, including with former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, had fueled speculation he was being groomed to replace the foreign minister.

The news comes just weeks before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, sending shockwaves through China’s diplomatic circles. His detention is the highest-level investigation involving a diplomat since the removal of Qin Gang in 2023.

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Born in Jilin province, Liu studied English in Beijing and international relations at Oxford before joining the foreign ministry as a translator. He later served in Britain and as ambassador to Indonesia and the Philippines. As ministry spokesman, he was known for his humor as well as his firm defence of China’s interests.