The Chinese Communist Party appears to have kicked off its annual meeting, held behind closed doors. The event fuels rumors every year about power struggles taking place at the country’s helm.
The forum would take place in the Hebei province of northern China. Beijing does not publicly confirm the holding of the meeting, but a clue that it has begun was the appearance on Monday of Cai Qi, the chief of staff and close collaborator of Chinese President Xi Jinping, who met with researchers in Beidaihe.
China has not officially recorded the top leaders’ meetings in the coastal city, located about an hour and a half east of Beijing by high-speed train, since 2003, writes hotnews.ro. That year, the practice of organizing collective work sessions during the summer was officially abolished.
However, the state press mentioned that the summer visits to Beidaihe by high-ranking officials in office and those retired have continued, allowing informal contacts. The retreats to the Chinese resort are compared to those of American presidents at Camp David or the meetings organized by the Kremlin at the Russian resort Sochi.