Prominent Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao taken for questioning, sources say

BEIJING, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Senior Chinese diplomat Liu Jianchao, widely seen as a potential foreign minister, was taken away by authorities for questioning in early August, five people familiar with the matter said.

Liu, 61, was detained after returning from a work trip to Singapore, South Africa and Algeria, which ended on July 30, according to the sources. His house was searched by authorities in early August, two of the people said.

The people did not know why the authorities questioned Liu. They could not be named for safety reasons. Liu's detention was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.

Liu's detention marks the highest-level disappearance of a diplomat since China ousted its former foreign minister and President Xi Jinping's protégé, Qin Gang, in 2023 following an unexplained public absence.

Since 2022, Oxford-educated Liu has led the International Department of the Communist Party, the body in charge of managing ties with foreign political parties. His profile remains on the department's website.

He was widely viewed by diplomats in Beijing and analysts as a likely candidate to succeed veteran Wang Yi as foreign minister but was not promoted to the role at a recent annual government reshuffle.

"If true, Liu Jianchao's downfall will lead to further power vacuum at the top of China's foreign affairs portfolio," said Wen-Ti Sung, a fellow at the Atlantic Council's Global China Hub.

"It removes a frontrunner to succeed Wang Yi and deprives China of a potential next steward for China's foreign policy."

China's State Council Information Office, which handles media queries for the Chinese government, and the Chinese Communist Party International Department did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

At an annual forum at Beijing's Tsinghua University in early July, Liu said he was optimistic about the future of U.S.-China relations and that it was "unimaginable that China and the U.S. will ever go to war".

Liu was known for the unusual frequency and intensity of his overseas travel unlike his more low-profile predecessors.

Foreign diplomats in Beijing praised his confident and relaxed manner, fluent English and ability to engage spontaneously without pre-prepared talking points.

"He knows how to shape Chinese narratives in a way that's engaging and appealing to foreigners," said one who met him in late 2023. Another diplomat who met his aides around that time said they were very confident that he would soon be promoted to foreign minister.

During a high-profile 2024 trip to the United States, which was widely viewed by analysts as a foreign minister trial run, he met a wide range of counterparts, including then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Born in the northeastern province of Jilin, Liu majored in English at Beijing Foreign Studies University and studied international relations at Oxford before taking up his first post as a translator with the foreign ministry.

He has served in China's mission to Britain and later as ambassador to Indonesia and the Philippines.

Unusually for a Chinese diplomat, he served two successive postings in China's anti-corruption bureaucracy between 2015 and 2018, when he helped track down corrupt officials who fled overseas.

During his time as ministry spokesman, he was known for humorous, spontaneous comments while making a robust defence of China's position.

A person familiar with China's foreign ministry said that Liu was liked and well-respected by Chinese diplomats for his outstanding ability and warm, friendly demeanour.