Is Benjamin Netanyahu's government in trouble?
In this edition of Newstrack, the focus is on the investigation into the Air India 171 crash. A Wall Street Journal report, citing cockpit recordings from a preliminary AAIB report, claimed the pilot may have switched off the fuel control switches.
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First Post
3 days ago
- First Post
China detains Liu Jaianchao, seen as future foreign minister, on return from abroad
A top Chinese diplomat, Liu Jianchao, has been detained for questioning, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. The 61-year-old, seen as a potential future foreign minister and a close ally of Xi Jinping, was taken into custody in late July after returning from an overseas trip. read more Liu Jianchao, a top Chinese diplomat and head of the Communist Party's foreign relations department, has been detained for questioning, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. The 61-year-old was taken into custody in late July after returning to Beijing from an overseas trip, the paper said, citing people familiar with the matter. Liu, seen as a possible future foreign minister and a close ally of President Xi Jinping, has led the Communist Party's body managing ties with foreign political parties since 2022. In that role, he has visited more than 20 countries and met officials from over 160 nations. His meetings, including with former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, had fueled speculation he was being groomed to replace the foreign minister. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The news comes just weeks before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tianjin, sending shockwaves through China's diplomatic circles. His detention is the highest-level investigation involving a diplomat since the removal of Qin Gang in 2023. Born in Jilin province, Liu studied English in Beijing and international relations at Oxford before joining the foreign ministry as a translator. He later served in Britain and as ambassador to Indonesia and the Philippines. As ministry spokesman, he was known for his humor as well as his firm defence of China's interests.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Report: China detains diplomat for questioning after trip abroad
Liu Jianchao, a senior Chinese diplomat widely seen as a potential future foreign minister, has been taken away by authorities for questioning, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Liu was taken away after returning to Beijing in late July from an overseas work trip, WSJ reported, citing people familiar with the matter. China's State Council Information Office, which handles media queries for the Chinese govt, and the Chinese Communist Party's international liaison department did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. Liu, 61, has led the Communist Party's body in charge of managing ties with foreign political parties. Since taking the role in 2022, he has travelled to more than 20 nations and met officials from more than 160 countries. Liu's busy schedule, especially his meetings with the former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, stoked expectations that the former ambassador and ministry spokesman was being groomed to be the next foreign minister. His detention marks the highest-level probe involving a diplomat since China ousted its former foreign minister and President Xi Jinping's protege, Qin Gang, in 2023 following rumours of an extramarital affair. Born in 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.
Mint
3 days ago
- Mint
China Detains Senior Diplomat Liu Jianchao, WSJ Reports
Chinese authorities have detained senior diplomat Liu Jianchao for a probe, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Liu was taken away in late July after arriving in Beijing after an overseas trip, the paper said, adding the reason for the detention was unclear. Liu heads the Communist Party's International Department, an agency for outreaches to foreign political parties and in parallel to China's foreign ministry. He has held the role since May 2022. Liu was widely expected to take over from Wang Yi as Beijing's top diplomat. Wang was reappointed as foreign minister in July 2023 after Qin Gang was abruptly ousted less than a year into his role. Qin hasn't been seen in public since his dismissal. 'It's a big deal. Liu was seen as someone who could replace Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the future,' said Alfred Wu, an associate professor at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Beijing's crackdown on corruption, especially targeting high-ranking officials, also serves to boost Xi's legitimacy and popularity among ordinary people by demonstrating his determination to fight corruption, he said. While Wu cautioned that the details surrounding the detention are unclear — and may never be revealed — he said when senior Chinese government officials are questioned the most likely reason is for corruption-related issues. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn't respond immediately to a WeChat message seeking comment outside of regular business hours. The WSJ said Liu and the International Department couldn't be reached for comment. The International Department's official website showed Liu's last public activity was on July 29, when he met with local officials in Algeria. Liu has a long history at the foreign affairs ministry. After studying international relations at Oxford University from 1986-1987, he worked as a translator before rotating through the bureaucracy, eventually ending up at the information department. He was promoted to ambassador to the Philippines in 2009, a traditionally important position in the Chinese diplomatic corps. In 2015, he was moved from the foreign ministry to the international affairs wing of the party's top anti-corruption unit. Liu leveraged his foreign policy background to coordinate with other countries, including the US, in helping track down corrupt officials overseas as Xi accelerated his flagship graft campaign. Liu's graft-buster resume was boosted when he became Zhejiang province's corruption chief in 2017. There he served under Xia Baolong, who once worked alongside Xi and is now Beijing's point person on Hong Kong and Macau. READ: China Tells Its Diplomats to Be Wary of Foreign Influence, Graft In 2018, Liu returned to Beijing as a deputy director of the new Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission. Led by Yang Jiechi, the commission was part of Xi's efforts to consolidate the party's control over diplomacy. Liu was promoted to head of the International Department in June 2022. Traditionally, the agency was in charge of maintaining ties with parties from fellow Communist countries like North Korea and Vietnam, and other friendly nations such as Cambodia and Russia. Under his watch, the department has taken on a more public profile, with Liu hosting ambassadors and meeting with foreign ministers from Western countries, including Australia and the US. With assistance from Tian Ying.
