China replaces head of Communist Party's international department

Chinese Communist Party Congress in Beijing

A man stands under the Chinese Communist Party emblem at the end of the closing ceremony of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China October 22, 2022. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang

Source: X06979

The ruling Chinese Communist Party on Tuesday unexpectedly appointed a new head of an influential party department that manages relations with foreign political parties.

Liu Haixing, 62, formerly director of the foreign ministry's European department, replaced Liu Jianchao, 61, as head of the party's international department.

The whereabouts of Liu Jianchao, who has vanished from the public eye over the last two months, were not clear.

Liu Jianchao was detained after returning from a work trip to Singapore, South Africa and Algeria, which ended on July 30, sources previously told Reuters.

The party's international department did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for information on Liu Jianchao.

His successor Liu Haixing previously served as a senior director of a powerful party commission overseeing national security. He had studied in Paris in the 1980s.

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.

By Reuters