Foreign Ministry In March 2006, it was announced that he would be replacing
Kong Quan as the director-general of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as the chief spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. During his tenure as chief spokesman for the ministry, Liu took questions on a wide variety of issues to do with China's relations with the world. For instance in 2007, when asked to comment on China's
anti-satellite missile test he stated, "There's no need to feel threatened about this" and argued that "China will not participate in any kind of
arms race in
outer space." When interviewed about the
2008 Summer Olympics and access to the Internet from inside China, he once recognized that "some websites are difficult to access from China". In December 2008, he said that the government had a right to censor Web sites that violated the country's laws. China's official
Xinhua News Agency commented that "Liu was known for his sedate and humorous style in briefing reporters on China's foreign affairs." An example of this was his response on the
shoe-throwing incident against US President Bush, where he said that the incident had given him "pause for thought" and that he would henceforth watch out for journalists taking off their shoes. In January 2009, Liu was replaced as the director-general of the Information Department as well as the head spokesperson of the ministry by
Ma Zhaoxu. At his farewell reception attended by ministry officials and journalists, Liu expressed his pleasure and gratitude at being able to participate in the Information Department's work in a period of complex and rapid changes for both China and the world. "The world is concerned about China; China also needs to understand the world. Strengthening mutual understanding and communication between China and the world is a beneficial thing." Liu was subsequently appointed the
ambassador to the Philippines. He presented his
letter of credence in March 2009. Liu was later appointed
Chinese ambassador to Indonesia. He presented his letter of credence to President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on 9 March 2012. In 2013, he was appointed to become an assistant minister of foreign affairs. In January 2015, he briefly returned as head of the Information Department, serving there until April 2015.
Commission for Discipline Inspection In September 2015, he was promoted to become the head of the International Cooperation Agency of the
Central Commission for Discipline Inspection of the Chinese Communist Party, making him the top official in charge of anti-corruption effort outside
mainland China. During this time, he was a key figure in
Operation Fox Hunt, a Chinese government mission whose purported aim is
anti-corruption efforts outside of China. In April 2017, Liu was named a member of the
Zhejiang Provincial Committee of the Chinese Communist Party and the head of the provincial discipline inspection commission. Liu was a member of the
19th Central Commission for Discipline Inspection.
Central Foreign Affairs Commission Office In April 2018, Liu was returned to the
Office of the Central Foreign Affairs Commission of the Chinese Communist Party, and named deputy director in September.
Head of the International Department In June 2022, Liu was appointed head of the
International Department of the Chinese Communist Party, succeeding
Song Tao. Compared to his predecessor, Liu took a more active diplomatic role, including by visiting more countries outside Asia. == Purge ==