The Chinese Communist Party’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (referred to as the United Front Work Department) Minister Liu Jianchao has not made any public appearances since the end of his overseas visit at the end of July, with reports suggesting that he has been taken in by the authorities for questioning. This has drawn significant attention as it coincides with the Beidaihe meeting involving senior officials and elders in Zhongnanhai, leading to speculation about power struggles within the top echelons of the Communist Party, personnel arrangements, and topics related to the Fourth Plenary Session.
According to a report by The Wall Street Journal on Saturday night local time, sources revealed that Liu Jianchao, who was once considered a candidate for Chinese Foreign Minister, was taken away for questioning by the authorities upon his return to Beijing at the end of July, for reasons that remain unclear.
Born on February 23, 1964, in Dehui, Jilin, Liu Jianchao graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University in 1982. In 1986, he studied International Relations at the University of Oxford in the UK, and upon his return to China in 1987, he began his career as a translator in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He later held positions as Deputy Director and Director of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador to the Philippines and Indonesia, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, and twice served as Director of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
After 2015, Liu Jianchao served in the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and provincial commission for discipline inspection. He was Deputy Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, Director of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, and from March 2018 to May 2022, he served as Deputy Director of the General Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Office, before officially becoming the Minister of the United Front Work Department in June. Liu was also a member of the 20th Central Committee.
The United Front Work Department is responsible for handling communications and contacts between the Chinese Communist Party and foreign political parties and organizations. Information on the department’s website shows that Liu Jianchao visited Singapore, South Africa, and Algeria at the end of July in his capacity as Minister of the United Front Work Department.
If the reports of Liu Jianchao being investigated are accurate, this would be the highest-level investigation involving a Chinese diplomatic official since the removal of Foreign Minister Qin Gang in 2023, appointed by Xi Jinping.
The Wall Street Journal mentioned that they were unable to reach Liu Jianchao, the United Front Work Department, or the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection for comments; the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs also did not immediately respond to requests for comments.
As of now, the United Front Work Department website still lists Liu Jianchao as the Minister.
Throughout his diplomatic career, Liu Jianchao had several “old leaders” (Foreign Ministers) guiding him, including Wu Xueqian, Qian Qichen, Tang Jiaxuan, Li Zhaoxing, Yang Jiechi, and Wang Yi, spending six years with Yang Jiechi. Qian, Tang, Li, and Yang have historically been linked to the Jiang faction. There were rumors circulating in Beijing political circles suggesting that Liu Jianchao was once considered a protege of Yang Jiechi.
In September 2015, Liu Jianchao caught the attention of the then Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Wang Qishan, and took on roles as Deputy Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, head of the Office of International Pursuit and Retrieval of Fugitives, and Director of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which established his affiliation with Wang Qishan’s faction.
Inter-factional struggles within the Chinese diplomatic system have been ongoing. Reports surfaced during the joint tenure of Yang Jiechi and Wang Yi about their discord. Yang Jiechi served as Foreign Minister from 2007 to 2012 and as Director of the Central Foreign Affairs Office from 2013 to March 2023. Wang Yi, after ten years as Foreign Minister, became a member of the Political Bureau and Director of the Office of Central Foreign Affairs, and following the dismissal of Qin Gang in 2023, resumed his position as Foreign Minister. However, there have been frequent rumors of changing Foreign Ministers since then, with Liu Jianchao becoming a prominent contender.
During the current Beidaihe meeting attended by senior officials and elders from Zhongnanhai, speculations are rife about power struggles within the top echelons of the Communist Party, preparations for the next personnel lineup, and topics concerning the Fourth Plenary Session.
Political commentator Li Lin told Epoch Times that the reports of the popular Foreign Minister candidate Liu Jianchao being investigated at this particular juncture indicate that the Beidaihe meeting is indeed turbulent. Discussions revolving around the stability of Xi Jinping’s power, his decision to stay or step down after the Fourth Plenary Session, as well as the power struggles in the next personnel lineup are intensifying.