China’s Intelligence Chief Makes High-Profile Visit to US Amidst Foreign Ministry Turmoil

Chinese International Liaison Department Minister Liu Jianchao (4th R) meets with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 12, 2024. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP)

Liu Jianchao, Minister of Liaison of the Central Committee, recently led a delegation to the United States before Taiwan’s presidential election. The liaison office is an intelligence agency of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) responsible for overseas affairs. Mr. Liu took hold of the agency in 2022.

Political observers believe that at a critical moment before the Taiwan election, CCP leader Xi Jinping chose the chief of the Liaison Office to intervene at a high-level meeting with U.S. dignitaries to convey the CCP’s diplomatic stance on his behalf, to some extent, Mr. Liu was playing the role of a foreign minister.

On Jan. 12, the day before the Taiwan presidential election, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Assistant Secretary of State for Asia-Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink met with Mr. Liu.

Principal deputy national security adviser Jon Finer held a lengthy talk with Mr. Liu two days before.

In a departure from CCP’s previous tone of wolf warrior diplomacy, Mr. Liu softened his rhetoric at a Jan. 9 public event hosted by the Council on Foreign Relations to commemorate the 45th anniversary of U.S.-China diplomatic relations.

The 60-year-old communist diplomat said China doesn’t engage in hot or cold wars with other countries, nor does it seek to change the current international order, while reiterating that the Taiwan issue is a “core interest” of the regime.

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On allegations that China exported large quantities of fentanyl to the United States, Mr. Liu said both sides would cooperate to “address common challenges.” And the Chinese side expects “concrete and visible deliverables.”

Mr. Liu graduated from the Beijing Foreign Studies University and has worked in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a long time. He served as director of the Information Department, foreign ministry spokesman, and assistant minister. Also, he served as ambassador to different countries, so his qualifications are close to that of Qin Gang, the former foreign minister who disappeared from the public for more than half a year; his downfall remains a secret.

Mr. Liu’s high-profile visit to the United States contrasted with the weakening position of Foreign Minister Wang Yi, sparking speculation about a change in the post.

Missing Foreign Minister

Mr. Qin’s whereabouts and life-or-death are uncertain and his predecessor Wang Yi has been reappointed.

In late August, Xi traveled to Johannesburg, South Africa, to attend the BRICS Summit, and on Aug. 22, he was scheduled to speak at the business forum but did not show up, without an official explanation. His speech was instead read by Wang Wentao, the minister of commerce.

The next day, when Xi entered the BRICS summit, his interpreter jogged in to follow but was blocked by South African security. When Xi looked back, the door was already closed. Xi stopped and looked back frequently, and even hovered for a few seconds before entering the venue alone. Since Xi doesn’t understand English, he was almost at a loss for words during the photo-taking session. A video of the incident has gone viral on the internet, causing Xi to lose face.

China's foreign minister Wang Yi attends a press conference at Media Center on March 8, 2019 in Beijing, China. Wang Yi answered questions from Chinese and foreign journalists on issues related to "China's foreign policy and foreign relations" (Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Yuan Hongbing, a law scholar living in Australia, told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times that the CCP central committee severely criticized Wang Yi for this diplomatic accident after Xi returned from South Africa and was ordered to undergo an inspection.

It did not take long for the CCP to have another diplomatic incident.

On Dec. 12, Xi arrived in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. During the welcoming procession at the airport, a representative waving the Vietnamese flag was suspected to have raised his middle finger to Xi and others, and the scene appeared in a CCTV news program, sparking debate among netizens.

On Dec. 14, Vietnam TV broadcasted a clip of video showing that at the welcome dinner hosted by Nguyen Phu Trong, the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Xi bowed down with a smile on his face and made a toast to Mr. Trong, who just clinked his glass with Xi for a moment and then turned to talk to other people, neither getting up, nor drinking wine, and seemed not to take Xi seriously at all.

Observers saw the diplomatic incident as a sign that Xi had been given the cold shoulder.

“The series of embarrassments Xi Jinping encountered in Vietnam may have increased his dissatisfaction with the incumbent foreign minister Wang Yi,” said Mr. Yuan.

Current affairs commentator Chen Pokong said on Jan. 11 that Xi has no other suitable candidate for the foreign minister, citing that deputy foreign minister Ma Chaoxu would not gain Xi’s trust as he is former Premier Li Keqiang’s subordinate.

“Now it is pretty likely Xi Jinping will give up on Wang Yi, which in a way is equivalent to Wang Yi losing his position [as foreign minister],” Mr. Chen said.

Former Spokesman Under Investigation

Like other official functions, the CCP foreign affairs system is riddled with incompatible party factions, accompanied by collusion and rivalry among them; not only foreign ministers but also the former spokesman, Zhao Lijian, is also rumored to be under investigation.

Mr. Zhao was known as his rugged, wolf-warrior representative when speaking out for the CCP regime. He had served as the deputy director of the Information Department of the Foreign Ministry.

Mr. Zhao’s wife’s Weibo account has not been updated for three weeks. Her last post, dated Dec. 19 last year, complained that Mr. Zhao had been defamed and demanded the authority to restore his innocence.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian takes a question at the daily media briefing in Beijing on April 8, 2020. (Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images)

Mr. Zhao did not get along with Mr. Qin, so when Mr. Qin was promoted to Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Zhao was immediately marginalized and transferred to the Department of Border and Maritime Affairs as a deputy director general.

After Mr. Qin disappeared, Mr. Zhao’s wife rejoiced by posting two microblogs on July 10, one saying, “Today is a good day,” and the other touting Zhao Lijian as a “good official who is honest and upright and who serves his country and the people.”

Qin, 57, Xi’s handpicked youngest foreign minister, was last seen publicly on June 25, 2023. After one month, Qin was reportedly removed from his post as foreign minister and replaced by his predecessor, Wang Yi.

There have been rumors that Mr. Qin may have had an extramarital affair and was involved in military intelligence leaks as Qin’s missing was followed by a spate of disappearances including Li Yuchao, commander of the Rocket Force, Liu Guangbin, deputy commander, and Zhang Zhenzhong, former deputy commander. In late August last year, Defence Minister Li Shangfu also disappeared.

Mr. Qin’s tenure lasted less than seven months, making him the shortest-serving minister in the history of China’s foreign ministry.