Senior Chinese diplomat Jianchao Liu, who was seen as a potential candidate for the foreign minister position, was taken by authorities for questioning. The Wall Street Journal reported this citing sources familiar with the matter, who noted that Liu was abroad for work purposes and when he returned in late July was taken for questioning - since then his response could not be obtained and the reason for his detention is unknown. Liu is a veteran in China's public service who previously also fought corruption as a key figure in the Communist Party's supervision mechanism. Recently, he served as head of the party's international department, responsible for relations with foreign countries, including the United States.