https://www.scmp.com/rss/116246/feed The Beidaihe meeting, or "summer summit" as it is known to China watchers, is held annually in the resort town in Hebei province. It is where China's leaders and elders from earlier generations meet in an informal setting for closed-door discussions that will set the tone for major domestic issues. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Alice Li Alice Li As China’s top leaders enjoy their summer retreat at the northern beach resort of Beihaihe, analysts are poring over the guest list for clues about Beijing’s priorities ahead of October’s crucial plenary meeting to agree on China’s next five-year plan. The list of invitees to the annual gathering, as reported by state media, suggests that China’s leaders are placing a heavy emphasis on science, innovation and entrepreneurship, as they seek to accelerate China’s development and application of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3321721/what-does-beidaihe-guest-list-tell-us-about-chinas-economic-priorities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3321721/what-does-beidaihe-guest-list-tell-us-about-chinas-economic-priorities?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Aug 2025 15:00:17 +0000 Raymond Ma Raymond Ma US and Chinese trade negotiators will meet in Stockholm next week for a third round of talks since the outbreak of the Trump 2.0 trade war. The discussions are likely to lead to an extension of their tariff truce beyond August 12, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent having earlier urged investors “not to worry” about the approaching deadline. Bessent said he would speak to Chinese officials in Sweden on Monday and Tuesday, and that the talks were “in a good place”. Beijing has yet to... https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3319529/us-china-talks-europe-win-rare-earths-politburo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/article/3319529/us-china-talks-europe-win-rare-earths-politburo?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Jul 2025 09:00:16 +0000 Some of China’s leading lights in artificial intelligence, quantum physics, deep-sea exploration and aerospace were invited to the political elite’s annual summer retreat this year, highlighting Beijing’s priorities in its tech self-reliance drive. Among the nearly five dozen researchers in the natural and social sciences at the Beidaihe seaside resort in Hebei province were computational scientist Andrew Yao Chi-Chih and award-winning physicist Xue Qikun. The researchers were invited by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3273933/chinas-hi-tech-scientists-have-moment-beidaihe-sun-political-elites-retreat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3273933/chinas-hi-tech-scientists-have-moment-beidaihe-sun-political-elites-retreat?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Aug 2024 22:00:23 +0000 Top leaders and experts in China gather every summer at the seaside resort of Beidaihe. Mao Zedong started the summer retreat tradition of meetings as early as 1953. However, Chinese President Xi Jinping has weakened the political importance of the annual retreat since taking over. https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3273601/where-chinas-top-leaders-discreetly-go-summer-brief-history-beidaihe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3273601/where-chinas-top-leaders-discreetly-go-summer-brief-history-beidaihe?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Aug 2024 02:00:12 +0000 The death toll from Beijing’s devastating floods rose to 33, with 18 people still missing, on Wednesday, as Premier Li Qiang convened a meeting of the State Council – China’s cabinet – focused on national flood relief. Five of those among the latest confirmed fatalities, as of midnight on Tuesday, died while taking part in the disaster relief effort after Typhoon Doksuri hit the Chinese capital with its heaviest rainfall in decades, from July 29 to August 2. The updated death toll is three times... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3230494/state-council-focus-national-flood-relief-beijing-toll-rises-33?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3230494/state-council-focus-national-flood-relief-beijing-toll-rises-33?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Aug 2023 08:24:45 +0000 Perhaps no holiday has attracted as much speculation as the yearly gathering of Chinese leaders in the seaside retreat of Beidaihe. Ostensibly an annual break for them to switch off and relax on the long beaches of the fabled northern resort town, it has also become an occasion when the country’s most powerful could spend time glad-handing, logrolling and tittle-tattling each other, making it the most watched unofficial event in the nation’s political calendar. As Beijing faces devastating... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3097769/has-chinas-annual-beidaihe-leaders-retreat-already-happened?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3097769/has-chinas-annual-beidaihe-leaders-retreat-already-happened?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Aug 2020 04:00:07 +0000 When you live in Beijing, as I did, you realise that Hong Kong is tiny. At the Beidaihe Politburo meetings this week, we might merit five minutes in between the rice and noodles. The leadership has almost 1.4 billion people to deal with — we are merely 7 million. And those who peddle the ponderous line of “foreign agents” encouraging the radicals should remember that the United States has bigger ways to upset China (in trade and currency) and that Britain is consumed by Brexit. The former... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3021678/hong-kongs-government-broken-city-needs-its-community-leaders-step?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3021678/hong-kongs-government-broken-city-needs-its-community-leaders-step?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Aug 2019 02:14:39 +0000 A senior Communist Party official met the nation’s leading academics and researchers at the seaside resort town of Beidaihe on Saturday, signalling the start of an annual closed-door agenda-setting meeting of China’s political elites. State news agency Xinhua reported that Chen Xi, a Politburo member and head of the party’s Organisation Department, passed on greetings from President Xi Jinping to 58 top academics. Chen said they had made outstanding contributions to the nation’s development and... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3021317/meeting-chinas-top-academics-marks-start-annual-beidaihe-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3021317/meeting-chinas-top-academics-marks-start-annual-beidaihe-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Aug 2019 14:30:15 +0000 With the dog days of August upon Beijing, Chinese leaders are expected to gather in the coming days in a northern beach resort to escape the heat of the capital – and to talk. The resort, called Beidaihe, is located some 180 miles east of Beijing. It provides a relaxed environment for Communist Party leaders, retired and current, to exchange views that often become policy later. But while they might spend time on the beach, this year’s meeting will be watched particularly closely, with a host of... https://www.scmp.com/politics/beidaihe-2019-chinese-leaders-take-seaside-break-amid-worsening-us-china-relations/article/3020631?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/politics/beidaihe-2019-chinese-leaders-take-seaside-break-amid-worsening-us-china-relations/article/3020631?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Jul 2019 10:32:16 +0000 It may appear at first glance that the most important time in China’s political season falls in the last three months of the year, when the country’s ruling elites gather in Beijing for a series of top decision-making meetings, culminating in the plenary session of the ruling Communist Party’s Central Committee. In fact, China’s political temperature is at its highest during the dog days of August, when current and retired leaders gather in the popular northern beach resort of Beidaihe to escape... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3020516/seaside-break-no-summer-camp-china-leadership-beidaihe-resort?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3020516/seaside-break-no-summer-camp-china-leadership-beidaihe-resort?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jul 2019 20:30:13 +0000 News of Sunday night’s brutal attacks on protesters and journalists in suburban Hong Kong has been censored on the mainland, but vandalism at Beijing’s liaison office received blanket coverage. As a result, while Hongkongers focused on an armed mob attacking civilians in Yuen Long, there was uproar on the mainland over protesters laying siege to the central government’s liaison office, where the national emblem was defaced and anti-Chinese obscenities spray-painted on the building. Many on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3019662/mainland-chinese-sentiment-protests-may-spur-tougher-line-hong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3019662/mainland-chinese-sentiment-protests-may-spur-tougher-line-hong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jul 2019 15:30:13 +0000 One of China’s top trade negotiators with the United States has called for international collaboration on robotics, a key part of the country’s plan to lead the world in the technology of the future. At the World Robot Conference in Beijing on Wednesday, Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He said that while China had made advances in the technology, it was still a fair way behind the world’s best. In the address, Liu’s first public speech since taking the lead on science and technology policymaking in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2159907/join-forces-china-new-robotics-future-top-trade?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2159907/join-forces-china-new-robotics-future-top-trade?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Aug 2018 15:32:18 +0000 When state radio reported on Wednesday that Premier Li Keqiang met United Nations General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa in Beidaihe, it was the clearest confirmation that the annual summer gathering of China’s most influential politicians was taking place at the northern Chinese seaside resort. Despite no exact opening or closing or official agenda, the summer conclave – described variously as a “meeting” or “holiday” over the past six decades – has mirrored the changing landscape... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2158875/where-chinas-top-leaders-go-summer-and-secret-brief?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2158875/where-chinas-top-leaders-go-summer-and-secret-brief?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Aug 2018 14:41:15 +0000 The annual summer conclave of China’s top leaders got under way over the weekend, with reports in state media that scientists and engineers invited to the gathering had been greeted by two Politburo members at the seaside resort of Beidaihe. Nearly 300km (180 miles) east of Beijing, the Beidaihe conclave is a chance for China’s most influential power brokers to mingle and unwind, and discuss policy and politics in an unofficial setting. But there could be a cloud over this year’s seaside... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2157861/trade-war-storm-clouds-loom-over-chinas-leaderships?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2157861/trade-war-storm-clouds-loom-over-chinas-leaderships?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Aug 2018 12:43:01 +0000 The annual Beidaihe meeting will take place soon against the backdrop of the China-US trade war, which makes it of exceptional interest to the outside world. This is by no means a formalised meeting of China’s Communist Party. Rather, it refers to the casual meetings and “catch-ups” of senior party officials, usually in late July or early August, while they are in Beidaihe enjoying their summer holidays. No directives or resolutions will emerge. Its function is largely as a venue for current and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2156762/trade-war-looming-overhead-chinas-beidaihe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/united-states/article/2156762/trade-war-looming-overhead-chinas-beidaihe?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Jul 2018 09:02:53 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping might try to forge consensus and handle political fallout from the US trade war when the Communist Party elite gather at the seaside resort of Beidaihe for their annual Camp David-style summer retreat, party watchers said. There has been no public announcement of a date for the start of the gathering of retired and serving political leaders but the event is understood to be taking place around the first week of August, after Xi returns from a trip to the Middle East... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2156044/chinas-trade-war-fallout-tipped-be-talk-beidaihe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2156044/chinas-trade-war-fallout-tipped-be-talk-beidaihe?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Jul 2018 22:03:42 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping is in summer retreat, along with other top Communist Party leaders, after inspecting a massive, combat-ready parade at a military base in Inner Mongolia to mark the 90th anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army. While the inspection was a high-profile event, for the benefit of both domestic and global audiences, the annual retreat to the Beidaihe beach resort, near the capital, is shrouded in secrecy as an important prelude to the much-anticipated 19th Party... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2105605/chinas-reforms-under-xi-jinping-hong-kong-should-look-across-border?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/2105605/chinas-reforms-under-xi-jinping-hong-kong-should-look-across-border?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Aug 2017 07:15:00 +0000 The annual summer gathering of the ruling elite of China’s Communist Party in the seaside resort of Beidaihe has traditionally been a symbol of the country’s “elderly politics”. For decades, the secretive gathering has provided a stage for leaders past and present to air their views on how the party and nation should be run. While actual dates for the event are never released, the absence of Xi and other key figures from recent news reports suggests that this year’s event is almost certainly now... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2105486/xi-makes-it-clear-whos-boss-chinese-leaders-old-and-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2105486/xi-makes-it-clear-whos-boss-chinese-leaders-old-and-new?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Aug 2017 11:30:15 +0000 After the pomp and ceremony of China’s big military milestone this week, the sudden absence of President Xi Jinping and other key leaders from state television news bulletins on Wednesday was a familiar sign for China watchers – Beijing’s summer conclave has begun. The secretive annual gathering at Beidaihe beach resort, 280km east of Beijing on the Bohai Sea, is particularly sensitive this year, with the Communist Party’s national congress around the corner and coming just weeks after a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2105299/chinese-leaders-head-beach-secretive-summer-gathering?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2105299/chinese-leaders-head-beach-secretive-summer-gathering?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Aug 2017 09:00:45 +0000 Early every August, watchers of China’s 7pm state news broadcast will notice it no longer carries details about the itineraries of the nation’s seven most senior Politburo members. The absence is a sign the leaders are escaping Beijing’s sweltering heat by retreating to the beaches of Beidaihe, a seaside resort in the heart of Bohai Bay about 300km to the east. While there are no official schedules, agendas or statements acknowledging the closed-door meetings, Beidaihe has long been known as the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2003423/turning-tides-seaside-beach-resort-beidaihe-loses-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/2003423/turning-tides-seaside-beach-resort-beidaihe-loses-its?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Aug 2016 10:04:28 +0000 Leaders of the ruling Communist Party have gathered in the seaside resort of Beidaihe for annual closed-door meetings to set the tone for major policies. The leaders meet each year in the Hebei town to work out major policy decisions for the coming year but its start is never formally announced. However, Politburo Standing Committee member Liu Yunshan met leading academics and researchers on behalf of President Xi Jinping on Friday a meeting seen by China watchers as a sign that the main... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1999828/communist-party-elite-head-beidaihe-agenda-setting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1999828/communist-party-elite-head-beidaihe-agenda-setting?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Aug 2016 17:14:31 +0000 Leaders of China's ruling Communist Party have gathered in the seaside resort of Beidaihe for closed-door talks to set the agenda for major issues. Liu Yunshan, Politburo Standing Committee member and Secretariat head, met leading academics and researchers on behalf of President Xi Jinping in the resort town in Hebei province on Wednesday, Xinhua reported. The authorities never formally announce the start of the Beidaihe summit but yesterday's meeting was one signal that China watchers generally... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1846866/summit-season-begins-beidaihe-chinas-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1846866/summit-season-begins-beidaihe-chinas-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Aug 2015 15:15:15 +0000 In theory, the most important political event of the year in China is the annual plenary session of the ruling Communist Party's top decision-making Central Committee in Beijing in the autumn. But, in practice, the biggest policy decisions of the year are made in the summer at an informal summit, held in the popular beach resort of Beidaihe . This meeting in Hebei province, also known as the "informal summit", will decide what leaders will officially approve when they gather at a hotel in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1844849/its-decision-time-sea-chinas-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1844849/its-decision-time-sea-chinas-communist-party?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2015 16:15:30 +0000 China's leaders will hold their annual policymaking meeting next week, having moved forward the informal summit due to urgent issues and a tight schedule. Sources said the Beidaihe summit, which gathers present and retired leaders in a closed-door meeting to set the policy tone, was likely to be held earlier this year as urgent issues had emerged, such as the economic slowdown and the stock market turmoil. President Xi Jinping's scheduled visit to the United States in September was also a reason... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1844968/chinas-communist-party-brings-forward-beidaihe-closed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies-politics/article/1844968/chinas-communist-party-brings-forward-beidaihe-closed?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Jul 2015 15:45:00 +0000 A public appearance by Communist Party General Secretary Xi Jinping yesterday signalled the end of the annual direction-setting gathering of party elites and elders at the seaside resort of Beidaihe in Hebei. The Beidaihe meeting has long been the backdrop for informal closed-door talks among the country's leaders and elders to determine the course for major domestic issues. Footage on China Central Television's prime time news programme Xinwen Lianbo showed a smiling Xi touring the training... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1574567/xi-jinpings-appearance-cctv-marks-end-party-conclave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1574567/xi-jinpings-appearance-cctv-marks-end-party-conclave?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 Aug 2014 18:30:30 +0000 China’s ruling Communist Party elites are gathering this week in the seaside resort of Beidaihe for a summer summit to work out major policy decisions. Liu Yunshan , a member of the seven-men Politburo Standing Committee and head of the Secretariat, met scientists, engineers, and other top thinkers in the Hebei resort area near Beijing, China Central Television reported Wednesday evening. Liu said he met the experts on the behalf of President Xi Jinping. Liu was accompanied by two other members... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1567908/communist-party-leaders-gather-beidaihe-policy-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1567908/communist-party-leaders-gather-beidaihe-policy-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2014 15:20:40 +0000 A top Communist Party's official's reappearance in Beijing yesterday hinted at an end to the closely watched policy meetings in the coastal resort town of Beidaihe. Liu Yunshan, who ranks fifth on the Politburo's all-powerful Standing Committee, appeared in Beijing to host a meeting on the Communist Party's "mass line" education campaign, according to China Central Television. The mass line is jargon coined by Mao Zedong to describe the party's need to stay in touch with the public, but the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1296803/liu-yunshan-re-emerges-suggesting-beidaihe-policy-talks-winding-down?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1296803/liu-yunshan-re-emerges-suggesting-beidaihe-policy-talks-winding-down?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 An excerpt from a forthcoming book has made public for the first time a speech by ex-premier Zhu Rongji in which he praises former president Jiang Zemin. Its appearance is likely aimed at the leaders meeting at the seaside resort of Beidaihe, where they are hammering out differences ahead of policy meetings in the autumn, one observer said. Jiang made a rare public endorsement of President Xi Jinping last month, and the speech may be intended to show unity among the older guard. The People's... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1295745/zhu-rongji-speech-newly-revealed-likely-aimed-leadership-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1295745/zhu-rongji-speech-newly-revealed-likely-aimed-leadership-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Aug 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The resort community of Beidaihe has seen tightening security in recent days - one of several signs that Communist Party chiefs would soon be arriving for their annual policy conclave there. Increased numbers of armed police have been seen in the vicinity of a private Beidaihe beach. Also, 200 "model workers" - people the party has recognised for their contributions to society - have recently arrived for holiday in the area, the China News Service reported. Last year, President Xi Jinping held a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1292967/security-tightens-around-beidaihe-ahead-communist-party-conclave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1292967/security-tightens-around-beidaihe-ahead-communist-party-conclave?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The secret discussions of party leaders at their annual conclave in the beach resort of Beidaihe set the tone for important political and economic policy issues. What sets this year's gathering apart is a departure from traditional practice by retired top leader Jiang Zemin. The former president has made pointed and positive public comments on new party leader Xi Jinping. His forthright endorsement of Xi's qualities and performance lend support in the face of pressure from conservative and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1292157/xi-jinpings-economic-and-political-reforms-get-jiang-zemins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1292157/xi-jinpings-economic-and-political-reforms-get-jiang-zemins?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 A year ago, Communist Party chiefs convened a secretive conclave in the seaside town of Beidaihe to finalise plans to hand over power to a new generation of leaders in the wake of the most serious crisis in years. Twelve months on, the new leaders are gathering for their first summer summit to discuss their policy agenda for a crucial party plenum this autumn. They may also discuss the handling of the case that sparked last year's crisis - that of the disgraced Chongqing party chief Bo Xilai... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1288647/hot-topics-loom-beidaihe-summer-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1288647/hot-topics-loom-beidaihe-summer-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 The hustle and bustle of the "summer summit" is back in the seaside town of Beidaihe. Punters had questioned whether this year's meeting would be suspended as part of the austerity drive ushered in by President Xi Jinping. They might feel safer and privileged by keeping these cleaner areas to themselves, but how about the dirty water people like us have to share But all the usual signs of the secretive meeting - from tightened security to watchful eyes guarding exclusive beaches and estates -... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1288644/security-operation-full-swing-beidaihe-resort-awaits-partys-top-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1288644/security-operation-full-swing-beidaihe-resort-awaits-partys-top-leaders?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Retired top leader Jiang Zemin publicly voiced strong support for new president Xi Jinping in a rare move that analysts say is designed to influence an upcoming gathering of the country's key decision-makers. Jiang gave Xi his full backing during a meeting with former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger on July 3. A big country like China with a population of 1.3 billion needs a strong and capable leader. Xi Jinping is a very capable and talented state leader Former leader Jiang Zemin The... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1288751/former-leader-jiang-zemin-gives-public-support-xi?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1288751/former-leader-jiang-zemin-gives-public-support-xi?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Jul 2013 16:00:00 +0000 Former president Jiang Zemin has made his fourth foray into the public eye in a month, with a People's Daily article hailing him as the "core of the third-generation leadership". Analysts see the praise as a reminder that the octogenarian may have cast a few decisive votes at the recent Beidaihe leadership summit. The lengthy article yesterday was ostensibly a review of a newly published book about Jiang's time in charge of the mainland's electronics industry, but the state newspaper hailed his... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1020420/ex-president-jiang-zemins-media-blitz-flaunts-clout-power-transition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1020420/ex-president-jiang-zemins-media-blitz-flaunts-clout-power-transition?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The secretive party conclave in the beach resort of Beidaihe is widely believed to have come to an end last weekend, setting the tone for the once-in-a-decade leadership succession later this year, according to political analysts. Although state media and mainland officials have remained tight-lipped about the existence of such a meeting, the analysts said all signs pointed to the conclusion of this year's seaside gathering, where the most important personnel and policy issues were expected to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1015715/beidaihe-meeting-leadership-succession-ends-say-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1015715/beidaihe-meeting-leadership-succession-ends-say-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 With the Communist Party's 18th congress just weeks away, the overseas media has focused upon the summer resort of Beidaihe where mainland leaders are slugging it out behind closed doors to pick the so-called fifth generation of officials to lead the country for the next 10 years. The latest speculation from Beidaihe is that the horse-trading has been intense, indicating that the question of who the new members of the Politburo Standing Committee will be may not be settled until the last... https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1008782/influence-predecessors-will-test-xi-jinpings-political?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1008782/influence-predecessors-will-test-xi-jinpings-political?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Aug 2012 16:00:00 +0000 Beijing school administrator Li Shouen and her husband, Fu Jianhui, a security camera supplier, are great advocates of the benefits of travel. 'We believe in the old saying 'It's better to travel 10,000 miles than to read 10,000 books',' says Li, 35. 'Travel can facilitate brain development in young children.' That's partly why the couple take their six-year-old son, Fu Ziheng, along on trips as often as they can. Usually they travel with Li's in-laws, Fu Mangmeng and Cao Jinrong, who relocated... https://www.scmp.com/article/1008004/road-scholars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/1008004/road-scholars?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0000 The mainland's top communist leaders began gathering in the northern summer resort of Beidaihe for secret talks that could finalise decisions on the party leadership lineup and key policy issues for the next five years. The presence in the resort of Jia Qinglin , chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, sparked speculation that the secretive annual gathering of top cadres was under way. Last night's CCTV news showed Mr Jia, ranked No 4 in the party hierarchy,... https://www.scmp.com/article/598630/new-chiefs-policies-agenda-secret-talks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/598630/new-chiefs-policies-agenda-secret-talks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:00:00 +0000 Xinhua yesterday released a long speech by Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao, apparently to highlight that his political fortune is on the rise. The release of the speech - made by Mr Wen last month - comes as the top echelon of the Communist Party wrapped up the annual summit in the seaside resort Beidaihe to discuss the new leadership line-up to be endorsed at the 16th Communist Party Congress later this year. It was not the first time official media had published a speech by Mr Wen, but the latest... https://www.scmp.com/article/388675/speech-shows-wen-far-losing-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/388675/speech-shows-wen-far-losing-power?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Aug 2002 16:00:00 +0000 National People's Congress Chairman Li Peng yesterday received parliamentarians from Malta in the seaside resort of Beidaihe - the first sign the annual leadership conference has begun. Xinhua said Mr Li met Anton Tabone, Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malta, in the resort in Hebei province. The conferences apparently started early this week after most top leaders completed their overseas visits or inspection tours in provinces. Every summer, mainland leaders gather at the beach... https://www.scmp.com/article/386188/maltese-visit-sign-retreat-has-started?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/386188/maltese-visit-sign-retreat-has-started?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Jul 2002 16:00:00 +0000 The working class will remain China's leading class, representing the country's advanced production forces, the mainland's top union chief said yesterday. 'The nature of our party, our country and the historic position and role of the working class have determined that we must unswervingly uphold the basic guiding principle of serving the working class wholeheartedly,' Wei Jianxing, chairman of the All China Federation of Trade Unions, told a seminar in Beijing. The comments by Mr Wei, a... https://www.scmp.com/article/385249/workers-remain-leading-class?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/385249/workers-remain-leading-class?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Jul 2002 16:00:00 +0000 China's top leaders had a chance to quiz United States Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill on Washington's confidence in stronger US economic growth this year. Later this month, China's Central Committee is scheduled to meet and debate a new proposal for government spending aimed at bolstering flagging domestic growth and compensating for a downturn in export growth. Last month meetings in Beidaihe ended in disagreement and Chinese leaders postponed a decision while they awaited fresh financial... https://www.scmp.com/article/357280/leaders-quiz-oneill-confidence-stronger-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/357280/leaders-quiz-oneill-confidence-stronger-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 10 Sep 2001 16:00:00 +0000 DESPITE PRESIDENT Jiang Zemin's tight grip on the Communist Party and state affairs, a considerable degree of what sinologists call 'inner-party democracy' manifested itself in the just-ended leadership conferences at the Beidaihe seaside resort. According to cadres familiar with the proceedings, there was a remarkable divergence of views on the three major topics raised: the development of the western provinces, preparation for the country's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and... https://www.scmp.com/article/325087/jiang-hedges-bets-west?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/325087/jiang-hedges-bets-west?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Aug 2000 16:00:00 +0000 The party leadership will put at least a temporary moratorium on the prosecution of major corruption cases after wrapping up investigations into the Xiamen and Shantou graft scandals. Culprits implicated in the multi-billion yuan Xiamen case will be put on trial soon. And judicial procedures for the similarly serious smuggling and corruption scandals centred on the Guangdong port of Shantou are expected to be finished before the end of the year. A party source said the Politburo leadership had... https://www.scmp.com/article/324467/leaders-call-dogs-graft-kings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/324467/leaders-call-dogs-graft-kings?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Aug 2000 16:00:00 +0000 PRESIDENT Jiang Zemin held a high-profile meeting with six world-famous scientists yesterday and reaffirmed the policy of reinvigorating the nation through science and technology. 'China will implement the strategy of reinvigorating the nation through science and education and the strategy of sustainable development,' Xinhua quoted Mr Jiang as saying at the seaside resort of Beidaihe. 'China will also establish and improve innovation systems, train talented people, actively employ overseas... https://www.scmp.com/article/323112/science-king-jiangs-vision?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/323112/science-king-jiangs-vision?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 05 Aug 2000 16:00:00 +0000 Regional officials are fighting for more autonomy as they submit reports to Beijing as part of the last preparations for the leadership meetings at the Beidaihe resort. The month-long series of informal conferences is due to start about August 10. Key topics on the agenda include the mainland's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the development of western provinces and 'party construction'. Leaders of all provinces and major cities are in the process of submitting papers and... https://www.scmp.com/article/322511/restive-regions-seek-more-autonomy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/322511/restive-regions-seek-more-autonomy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Jul 2000 16:00:00 +0000 The practice of moderation embodied in the Confucian doctrine of the golden mean is a sensible policy for everyday life but can lead to bizarre corporate interpretations. Talk to Jiang Wen, an editor in a state publishing house. He has always enjoyed doing his job and so puts in more than his fair share of time and effort into writing and editing. In recent weeks, however, he has slowed. Why? By working hard and being enthusiastic, he has raised eyebrows among his less ardent colleagues.... https://www.scmp.com/article/289371/mediocrity-culture-under-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/289371/mediocrity-culture-under-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jul 1999 16:00:00 +0000 The economic slump has even hit the seaside resort of Beidaihe, where China's leadership is gathering for its annual meeting. Most of the hotels and guesthouses are empty this year, especially on week days. 'The number of tourists is down by two-thirds. In the past, Beidaihe would be packed with tourists at this time but now it is quiet,' a restaurant owner told the Beijing Youth Daily. Bei Chen Tourist Villas manager Sun Wei said: 'Now all these ministries are being downsized, it means... https://www.scmp.com/article/251373/economic-tide-hits-beidaihe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/251373/economic-tide-hits-beidaihe?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Aug 1998 16:00:00 +0000 The upcoming Beidaihe leadership meeting could settle a series of contentious issues including whether to devalue the yuan. A Beijing source said yesterday there was a divergence of views on several economic and political policies. On the value of the yuan, the source said Premier Zhu Rongji was still leaning towards maintaining the currency's value for the foreseeable future. However, there was a growing pro-devaluation lobby, including the heads of companies trading overseas and coastal... https://www.scmp.com/article/250913/beidaihe-talks-set-focus-yuans-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/250913/beidaihe-talks-set-focus-yuans-future?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Aug 1998 16:00:00 +0000 Premier Zhu Rongji will face pressure from regional cadres to slow reform at leadership meetings next month at the summer resort of Beidaihe. Diplomatic sources in Beijing said regional chiefs at the annual policy-setting sessions would tell Mr Zhu reforms he started in March had exacerbated social unrest. The sources said the Communist Party leadership might also call a third plenary session of its Central Committee in October to seek a new consensus on striking a balance between reform and... https://www.scmp.com/article/248210/zhu-faces-pressure-slow-reform?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/article/248210/zhu-faces-pressure-slow-reform?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Jul 1998 16:00:00 +0000