China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) recently updated its “principal officials” section on its official website. Li Qian, former deputy minister of the Ministry of State Security (MSS), has been appointed as a member of the MFA Party Committee and head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) and National Supervisory Commission’s discipline inspection and supervision group stationed at the MFA. He is listed between Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu and Hua Chunying.
Li Qian’s personal history remains opaque, similar to other MSS deputy ministers. On August 17, 2025, he visited Vietnam, with coverage appearing only in Vietnamese media and no reports from Chinese state media.
China affairs analyst Li Linyi noted that in the CCP system, the head of the discipline inspection group acts as the CCDI’s eyes and ears — effectively a “monitor” or “political commissar” inside the Foreign Ministry. Li Qian’s national security background suggests the MSS is gaining influence. Authorities now appear to prioritize so-called “political security” cases involving diplomats over routine anti-corruption efforts.
Reverse Appointments Show Tight Personnel Ties
There have also been movements in the opposite direction. In April, MFA Vice Minister Sun Weidong was dismissed before reaching retirement age, with his whereabouts unknown at the time. After a period of disappearance, he reappeared in late June at a low-profile Party anniversary concert in his capacity as executive deputy director of the Central National Security Commission Office.
The previous executive deputy director of the Central National Security Commission Office was Liu Haixing. Liu had a long career in the MFA, serving as assistant minister, before moving in March 2018 to become deputy director of the Central National Security Commission Office. He was later promoted to executive deputy director. In September 2025, he returned to the foreign affairs system as minister of the International Liaison Department (ILD) of the CCP Central Committee, replacing the vanished Liu Jianchao. The ILD handles party-to-party diplomacy.
Historical Roots: National Security and Diplomacy Were Never Separate
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