Reuters: China detains prominent diplomat considered for foreign minister's post for questioning

In early August, a senior Chinese diplomat, Liu Jianchao, who is considered a potential foreign minister, was taken by the authorities for questioning. Reuters reports reported five interlocutors familiar with the issue.

According to the sources, Liu, 61, was detained after returning from a business trip to Singapore, South Africa and Algeria, which ended on July 30. Two of them added that authorities searched his home in early August.

The reason for the interrogation is unknown.

Journalists note that Liu's detention is the largest disappearance of a diplomat since China ousted its former foreign minister and presidential protégé Xi Jinping The Qin Ganges in 2023.

Since 2022, Liu has been the head of the Communist Party's International Department, the body responsible for managing relations with foreign political parties. His profile remains on the department's website.

He was widely seen by diplomats in Beijing and analysts as a likely candidate to succeed the veteran Wang Yi as foreign minister, but he was not promoted during the annual government reshuffle.

Liu has also worked in the Chinese mission in the UK, as well as as ambassador to Indonesia and the Philippines. From 2015 to 2018, he held two consecutive positions in China's anti-corruption agencies, where he helped track down corrupt officials who had fled abroad.

• on August 7, it became known that the South Korean prosecutor's office requested a warrant for the arrest of former first lady Kim Kong-hee, a day after she was interrogated on charges of election interference and other violations.