Communist party’s fifth ranked official Liu Yunshan greets top experts to Beidaihe
Annual ritual is one of few signs that annual gathering of leaders is underway
Liu Yunshan, ranked No 5 in the Communist Party’s hierarchy , greeted the country’s top researchers to the summer conclave of leaders and elders at Beidaihe on Wednesday, a further confirmation that the secretive annual closed-door talks were underway at the seaside resort east of Beijing.
State media reported that Liu, a Politburo Standing Committee member in charge of ideology, met the group of 57 leading experts – described by Xinhua as chief scientists and engineers at top state research or construction projects – on behalf of President Xi Jinping.
While the significance of the annual retreat has been a matter of debate in recent years, the gathering of incumbent and retired state leaders remains an important occasion in the opaque world of party politics.
This year’s gathering is particularly sensitive as it will be the last get-together of power brokers before autumn’s party congress, which will see a crucial reshuffle among the leadership as Xi enters the second five-year period of his presidency.