Liu Jianchao, long the Communist Party of China’s head of international outreach, has been replaced by Liu Haixing, previously a high-ranking security official, as the head of the International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee (IDCPC.)
The body oversees the CPC’s relationships with foreign political parties – a key vector of its global influence.
Liu Haixing is a career diplomat with a specialty in French. He was a senior diplomat focusing on Europe and became an assistant minister of foreign affairs in 2015. He moved to the Office of the Central National Security Commission, which administers the party’s high-level security decisions, in 2018. He became a member of the CPC’s Central Committee in 2022.
His predecessor, Liu Jianchao, is also a Central Committee member. He has not been seen in public since late July, amid rumors of an investigation. He was reportedly detained after returning from a trip to Algeria. The Central Committee will meet in late October, and many observers will likely focus on whether he’ll attend.
The shift in the leadership of the IDCPC, the party’s diplomatic arm, will put Liu Haixing in control of party-to-party exchange with counterparts in other countries. The IDCPC has become more prominent in China’s global diplomacy since the COVID era. Liu Jianchao was prominent in reshaping China’s global image after the pandemic shutdown.
The IDCPC expanded from building relations with other communist parties to broader outreach. It now has ties with more than 600 foreign parties across the political spectrum. Building support for the Belt and Road Initiative is a core function, and coordinating with (and training) foreign officials is a key part of this outreach. The department’s growing role also helped to mitigate disruptions caused by the sudden replacement of Qin Gang as Foreign Minister in 2023.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? The shift highlights the importance of China’s dual foreign policy approach. Its overseas diplomacy takes place at both the state and party levels. Chinese President Xi Jinping has increased the influence of the Party in Chinese foreign policy decision-making, effectively shifting the Ministry of Foreign Affairs towards a more logistical role.
[SRC] https://chinaglobalsouth.com/2025/10/01/cpc-international-department-leadership-change/
