China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has appointed Li Qian, a former vice minister of the Ministry of State Security (MSS), as head of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) team stationed at the ministry. Analysts say the appointment reflects Beijing’s growing emphasis on political security within the diplomatic corps.
The appointment follows a series of high-profile personnel exchanges between China’s foreign affairs and state security systems. Former Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong resurfaced this year as Executive Deputy Director of the Office of the Central National Security Commission, while Liu Haixing moved from the Foreign Ministry to the national security apparatus before returning to head the CCP’s International Department. Analysts view these appointments as evidence of increasingly close institutional ties between China’s diplomatic and state security systems.
The personnel shifts have renewed scrutiny of the intelligence role of Chinese diplomats abroad. Critics point to the 2023 expulsion of Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei from Canada over allegations of intimidating a lawmaker, while former U.S. diplomat John J. Tkacik Jr. has argued that former Foreign Minister Qin Gang may have conducted intelligence work under diplomatic cover. Some commentators also contend that China’s foreign-language universities have long served as recruitment channels for the Ministry of State Security, further blurring the line between diplomacy and intelligence.
Source: Epoch Times, July 10, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/7/10/n14806905.htm