Imagine if, for a few days a year, the president, his administration, congressional leaders, the Supreme Court, and high ranking officers of the U.S. military took a vacation to Cape Cod and plotted—in secret—the path for America to follow until the next session. They would also decide who’s next to be promoted, and who is to be eliminated.
Though not mandated by any formal policy or protocol, for decades Chinese regime leaders have done just that, convening every summer at the resort town of Beidaihe, located a few dozen miles away from Beijing on the coast of the Bohai Sea.
It’s a change of scenery from the rubber-stamp bureaus and offices of Beijing. For the top cadres of the Communist Party, the meeting functions as a private, relatively casual means of discussion and expression in a political system that otherwise places tremendous worth on the regime’s monolithic public appearance.
