China names veteran diplomat to head party’s International Department

Liu Haixing, a veteran diplomat specialising in European affairs, has been appointed as the head of the International Department, the Communist Party’s diplomatic arm.

He replaces Liu Jianchao, who has not been seen in public since late July amid speculation he could be facing a disciplinary investigation. Sources said the diplomat was detained shortly after returning from a trip to Algeria.

Liu Haixing, 62, has served in a variety of diplomatic roles over the past three decades and has been deputy director of the office of the National Security Commission since 2018.

He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1985, starting at the translation department, interspersed with periods of advanced study in France.

He has previously served at the Chinese mission to the United Nations and as minister-counsellor at the embassy in Paris.

Upon returning to Beijing, he then served as deputy director and then director of the ministry’s department of European affairs and was promoted to the rank of assistant minister of foreign affairs in 2015.