China cues start of leaders’ secretive Beidaihe summer retreat

BEIJING: China’s Communist Party appeared to kick off its annual closed-door retreat in the seaside resort of Beidaihe, an informal gathering that perennially sparks rumours of power jostling among senior cadres and comes this year ahead of a major party conclave in October on party governance. Beijing does not publicly confirm the gathering, but in a sign that it had begun, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s chief of staff and close aide Cai Qi on Monday (Aug 3) met with scholars in Beidaihe in northern Hebei province, an appearance analysts say has in past years coincided with the summer retreat. “Historically,…