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Hello Readers,

Here is your Morning Brief from Taipei!

China Detains Senior Diplomat Seen as Foreign Minister Contender

Beijing’s political purges have reached the upper echelons of its diplomatic corps. Liu Jianchao, 61, head of the Communist Party’s International Department and widely viewed as a frontrunner to replace Foreign Minister Wang Yi, has been taken in for questioning, sources told the Wall Street Journal. The reasons remain unclear.

Liu’s detention follows his return from trips to Singapore, South Africa, and Algeria in late July. His sudden absence removes one of Beijing’s most internationally connected envoys at a time when Xi Jinping is prioritizing loyalty over technocratic expertise in foreign policy appointments.