March 11, 2025 — Exterior of the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. On this day, the CCP’s National People's Congress concluded. (Pedro Pardo/AFP via Getty Images)
[People News] The Minister of the International Liaison Department, Liu Jianchao, has been missing with no news for over a month. Based on the circumstances of Kim Jong-un’s visit to China to attend the September 3rd military parade, the outside world speculates that Vice Minister Li Mingxiang may be acting in Liu Jianchao’s position, rather than the top-ranked “North Korea expert” Vice Minister Chen Zhou. Media figure Ma Siku revealed that personnel in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs themselves have espionage identities, and that people from different departments of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs neither communicate nor speak with one another, with severe internal strife.
I. Background on Chen Zhou and Li Mingxiang
At Beijing’s September 3rd military parade, two officials of the International Liaison Department drew attention.
The first is Chen Zhou, male, Han nationality, born in August 1966, from Yushu City, Jilin Province (formerly called Yushu County). He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of International Business and Economics, majoring in foreign trade and Korean language, and once studied at Kim Il-sung University in North Korea for two years.
In August 1989, he began working in the Department of Asian and African Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade, and subsequently worked at the CCP International Chamber of Commerce Representative Office in Seoul, the Chinese Embassy in South Korea, and the Chinese Embassy in North Korea.
Since May 2002, he has held several key positions, including:
Deputy Director-General and Director-General of the Department of Asian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation (Ministry of Commerce);
Minister-Counsellor for Economic and Commercial Affairs at the Chinese Embassy in South Korea; Director-General of the Department of Personnel of the Ministry of Commerce.
In August 2016, he became a party leadership member, Vice Chairman, and Secretary of the Party Committee of the organs of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT).
In August 2019, he was appointed head of the discipline inspection and supervision group of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the State Supervisory Commission stationed at the Central Foreign Affairs Office.
In January 2021, he took office as Vice Minister of the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee and concurrently served as Secretary of the Party Committee of the organs of the department.
The second is Li Mingxiang, male, Han nationality, born in May 1969, from Guan County, Shandong Province.
In July 1995, he entered the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee.
From January to December 2008, he served as Vice Mayor of Gaobeidian City, Hebei Province, in a temporary post;
In November 2019, he served as Assistant Minister of the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee and concurrently Director of the Cadre Bureau.
In December 2022, he was promoted to Vice Minister of the International Liaison Department of the CPC Central Committee.
Media reports mentioned that he had “long worked in the International Liaison Department,” and after being promoted to Vice Minister, he received further heavy responsibilities internally.
From their résumés, Chen Zhou appears more professional than Li Mingxiang. Especially with his study experience in North Korea, which laid the foundation for his foreign affairs work with North Korea. But within the CCP, if one lacks the support of a Politburo Standing Committee-level bigwig, it is very difficult to stand out.
II. Liu Jianchao was taken away, minister position was vacated
Sing Tao Daily published an article pointing out that Kim Jong-un visited the CCP last week to attend the September 3rd military parade; according to convention, North Korean affairs are handled by the International Liaison Department, and in Kim’s previous visits, he was accompanied throughout by then Minister of the International Liaison Department Song Tao.
Song Tao, born in 1955, will already be 70 years old in April 2025 and has now retired. His post was taken over by Liu Jianchao in June. Previously, Liu Jianchao was regarded as a hot candidate for Foreign Minister of the CCP.
But this time, when Kim Jong-un visited, Liu Jianchao had already “disappeared.” Representing the International Liaison Department in welcoming Kim Jong-un was Vice Minister Li Mingxiang, rather than the top-ranked Vice Minister Chen Zhou, himself a “North Korea expert.” When Xi Jinping met with Kim Jong-un, he was also accompanied by Li Mingxiang.
Commentators analysed that Liu Jianchao, because during his visit to Europe earlier this year, he revealed to the U.S. that Xi Jinping had lost power, was placed under investigation. On July 10, the Asia Sentinel published an article titled “Analysts speculate Xi Jinping is losing power,” which mentioned that a senior Chinese official revealed Xi was losing power; commentators analyse that this high-level figure was Liu Jianchao.
According to CCP public information, on January 11, 2024, Liu Jianchao held talks with Jon Finer, U.S. Principal Deputy National Security Advisor. On January 12, he met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The two sides exchanged views on the path of stable development of China-U.S. relations and expressed willingness to continue strengthening multi-level dialogue.
Liu Jianchao’s remarks were much more moderate compared to Wang Yi, and were seen by the U.S. side as indicating that the CCP wanted to ease relations with the U.S. If Liu Jianchao was spying, then this meeting with top U.S. officials was an opportunity.
From June 10 to 12, 2025, Liu Jianchao led a CCP delegation to Norway and attended the 22nd Oslo Forum. Coincidentally, in June, China-U.S. trade talks were held in London, U.K. Whether Liu privately met with U.S. senior officials or communicated by phone to reveal CCP political secrets is unknown.
After concluding his foreign visits and returning to Beijing at the end of July, Liu Jianchao was taken away for questioning by the authorities, and has since disappeared.
The International Liaison Department is a functional department of the CCP Central Committee responsible for external work, mainly engaged in party-to-party diplomacy. At this “Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the War of Resistance” event, leaders of several socialist countries also attended, including Vietnamese President Luong Cuong. This time, Luong was not visiting in his party capacity, so he was received by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and when Xi Jinping met with him, no senior officials of the International Liaison Department were present.
Besides Vietnam, socialist leaders included the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Central Committee and Cuban President Díaz, and the General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party Central Committee and Lao President Thongloun.
Notably, when Xi Jinping met with Laos’s Sonexay Siphandone, Li Mingxiang sat in the second seat on the left, while Chen Zhou also attended but sat at the far right of the Chinese side’s arrangement. The CCP is particular about seating arrangements, and Chen Zhou’s position showed that he had already been sidelined.
III. Analysis of factors: “Li Mingxiang highlighted, Chen Zhou sidelined”
Li Mingxiang being “entrusted with a critical task in an emergency” shows that he has gained Xi Jinping’s trust. So why did Xi Jinping choose Li Mingxiang?
First, at 56, Li Mingxiang is younger than Chen Zhou, 59, who came from the Ministry of Commerce.
Second, although Chen Zhou was promoted to Vice Minister three years earlier than Li, he entered the International Liaison Department only four and a half years ago, and was less familiar with the work than Li. Therefore, Li has richer work experience than Chen.
Third, Li Mingxiang is from Shandong and may have connected with Peng Liyuan. It is rumoured that the promotions of many high-ranking CCP officials from Shandong are related to Peng Liyuan. Li Mingxiang has worked in the International Liaison Department since graduation, and it was not until 2008 that he obtained a temporary promotion opportunity, clearly related to the Xi family, because Xi Jinping was confirmed as successor in 2007. Given his native place, finding Peng Liyuan is not far-fetched.
But some commentators analyse that it is still too early to conclude that he will become Minister of the International Liaison Department, since Liu Jianchao’s ministerial post has not yet been removed, and the authorities have not officially explained his problems. Regardless of whether Li Mingxiang can take over as Minister, Chen Zhou has already been defeated. Media figure Yuan Hongbing commented that Xi Jinping appoints people based on favouritism, not merit, and this can be confirmed from “Li Mingxiang being highlighted, Chen Zhou sidelined.”
(People News first release) △
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