Liu Jianchao. File photo

Former assistant foreign minister Liu Jianchao has been promoted to the post of deputy head of the National Bureau of Corruption Prevention, opening a new career path for China's elite diplomats.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced the appointment on Tuesday.

A source at the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, who declined to be named, said Liu has been holding the vice-ministerial-level post.

One responsibility of National Bureau of Corruption Prevention is hunting overseas fugitives and conducting exchanges with foreign countries, which require the incumbent to have not only abundant diplomatic experiences but also know relevant laws and policies very well, and Liu's background fits the post well, said insiders.

Liu succeeded Fu Kui, who was earlier appointed the head of Central China’s Hunan Provincial Discipline Inspection Commission.

The latest update on the Foreign Ministry website shows that Liu no longer holds the post of assistant foreign minister.

Liu, born in 1964 in Dehui city, Northeast China's Jilin province, graduated from Beijing Foreign Studies University and studied at Oxford University.

He became the youngest spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry in 2001 at the age of 38. His open attitude and eloquence won him praise from the media circle in his eight years at the post.

Liu was then appointed as China's ambassador to the Philippines in 2009 and then ambassador to Indonesia in 2011.

In 2013 he was promoted to assistant foreign minister.