Chinese authorities have detained Liu Jianchao, a prominent diplomat seen as a potential future foreign minister, for questioning.
According to a Wall Street Journal report citing people familiar with the matter, Liu, 61, was taken into custody after returning to Beijing in late July from an overseas work trip.
Beijing has not issued any official statement, and the report did not specify possible reasons for his detention.
Since 2022, Liu has led the Chinese Communist Party’s body responsible for managing ties with foreign political parties.
His high-profile meetings, including one with former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington last year, had fueled speculation that he could succeed current Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
This development marks the second-highest-level investigation involving a Chinese diplomat since the removal of former top diplomat Qin Gang in 2023 amid rumours of an extramarital affair.
Liu’s career began after he majored in English at Beijing Foreign Studies University and studied international relations at Oxford University.
He first served as a translator in China’s Foreign Ministry, later working at the country’s mission in the UK, and then as ambassador to Indonesia and the Philippines.
