ANKARA

Chinese authorities have detained Liu Jianchao, a senior diplomat widely seen as a potential future foreign minister, for questioning, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing "people familiar with the matter."

Liu, 61, was detained after returning to Beijing in late July from an overseas work visit.

There was no immediate reaction from Beijing to the report, which did not elaborate on the possible reasons behind Liu's detention.

Liu has led the Chinese Communist Party's body in charge of managing ties with foreign political parties since 2022.

He was considered a possible successor to the incumbent Foreign Minister Wang Yi, especially after his meetings with former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington, DC, last year.

His detention marks the second-highest-level probe involving a diplomat since Beijing ousted its former top diplomat Qin Gang in 2023 following rumors of an extramarital affair.

Liu, who majored in English at Beijing Foreign Studies University and studied international relations at Oxford University, was appointed as a translator with the Foreign Ministry as his first post.

He served in China's mission to the UK before serving as an ambassador to Indonesia and the Philippines.

* Writing by Aamir Latif.