Chinese authorities have detained Sun Haiyan, 53, a senior diplomat and former ambassador to Singapore, in a move sources say signals fresh uncertainty within the country’s diplomatic ranks.
Three people familiar with the matter told Reuters that Sun was taken into custody in early August, around the same time Liu Jianchao, head of the Communist Party’s International Department and a potential foreign minister candidate, was questioned by authorities. Two sources said Sun’s detention was connected to Liu’s case, though the basis for either investigation remains unclear.
Liu’s disappearance marks the highest-profile removal of a Chinese diplomat since the unexplained ouster of then-Foreign Minister Qin Gang, a protégé of President Xi Jinping, in 2023. One source said Liu’s detention followed an overseas trip to Singapore, South Africa, and Algeria, and that his home was searched in early August.
The simultaneous absence of both Liu and Sun has fueled speculation over the stability of China’s foreign policy apparatus, coming at a time of heightened tensions with the United States over trade and geopolitical influence.
China’s State Council Information Office and the International Department did not immediately respond to Reuters’ requests for comment. Both Liu and Sun’s profiles remain on the International Department’s website.
Sun was last seen publicly on August 1 at a reception hosted by Nepal’s embassy in Beijing. She served as China’s ambassador to Singapore from May 2022 to July 2023, hosting a 500-person farewell reception at a luxury hotel before returning to Beijing.
Joining the International Department in 1997, Sun held various roles including spokesperson and head of the bureau managing Southeast Asian relations. She also served as a district Party Committee official in Zibo, Shandong province, in 2008. Originally from Hebei province, Sun holds a doctorate in law from Peking University and studied at Japan’s Kyushu University.
