Of all those who have been purged by President Xi Jinping, disappearing into the communist party’s vast network of black jails, Liu Jianchao is one of the most intriguing. He has held a number of top roles in the party apparatus – including in overseas influence operations and in running a shadowy department that sought to track down overseas exiles and ‘persuade’ them to return home, using methods that ranged from intimidation and even abduction to threatening family members still in China. He was also tipped to be the next foreign minister.

Liu will also know that corruption crackdowns are rarely solely about corruption, but a smokescreen for all manner of misdemeanours, real or imagined

Liu was the head of the party’s International Department at the time of his detention, and accordin

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