China's Elite Conclude Beidaihe Summer Retreat as Xi Tightens Grip

China’s leadership has finished its customary two-week summer retreat in the coastal resort of Beidaihe, a setting historically used for informal policy deliberations and elite networking. Originating in the Qing era and formalized by Mao, the meetings have balanced formal bureaucracy with behind-the-scenes bargaining, allowing party elders to shape appointments. Under President Xi Jinping, however, the retreat’s function appears to have shifted as he outlives former elders and removes potential successors, turning the event into a stage for officials to demonstrate loyalty. The piece also highlights simmering U.S.-China friction before a planned September summit, Russia’s provocative visit to the disputed Kuril Islands and Japan’s diplomatic response, a low-budget animated film that became a cult box-office success before being pulled, and persistent economic slowdown despite strong exports, especially the deflationary pressure from the property market.