Liu was born in
Zhenjiang,
Jiangsu, China. She attended
Nanjing University, one of the top universities in China, between 1993 and 1997. She majored in English language and literature. In 1996, Liu became the first Chinese student to participate in and win the International Public Speaking Competition in London. After graduating from college, she joined
CCTV and later became an anchorwoman on CCTV's English language channel. In 2011, she was posted to Geneva, where she served as the Geneva Bureau Chief of CCTV, for nearly six years. Since the foundation of CGTN in 2016, she returned to China and began the opinion program
The Point with Liu Xin in 2017. An article on
Reuters published prior to the debate said that "China’s war of words with the United States over their escalating trade dispute will reach a crescendo of sorts" with the exchange. The debate garnered a lot of attention in China, with posts about the debate receiving 260 million views and more than 53,000 comments on micro-blogging site
Sina Weibo. The debate was later described as "polite, dull and condescending" in a media account. == Personal life ==