East Asia
While the retreat has historically provided an opportunity for serving and retired leaders to hold informal discussions and negotiate over policy and personnel, the "scope for genuine bargaining has narrowed", says an analyst.
Chinese flags and the national emblem are seen at the Great Hall of the People following the second plenary session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) in Beijing on Mar 8, 2025. (Photo: AFP/Adek Berry)
04 Aug 2026 12:32PM
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, the retreat has provided an opportunity for serving and retired leaders to hold informal discussions and negotiate over policy and personnel," said Neil Thomas of the Asia Society Policy Institute.But, with power increasingly concentrated within the party and in Xi's hands, "the scope for genuine bargaining has narrowed", Thomas said.
