With trade war looming overhead, China’s Beidaihe meeting a chance to discuss what went wrong

Deng Yuwen says that the annual informal late-summer gathering of China’s ruling party will almost certainly be devoted to US tariffs and how to respond to them, as well as containing public dissatisfaction and, on a subtle level, discussing the leadership’s mistakes

Reading Time:4 minutes

Published: 5:02pm, 25 Jul 2018Updated: 8:51pm, 25 Jul 2018

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 retired leaders to express their thoughts in casual conversations. Inevitably, those conversations involve reflections on current issues and policies. This is why the Beidaihe gathering is keenly watched.

In the past, the topics discussed have included personnel changes – especially before the National Party Congress sessions – policy mistakes, “hot potato” issues that need dealing with, and even the current leader’s leadership style.

On the eve of this year’s gathering, the most significant current event is undoubtedly the trade war and its impact on China’s domestic and external environment. This is almost certain to be a major topic of discussion.

On July 6, the United States kicked off the trade war by imposing tariffs on Chinese imports to the US. China has responded with counter-measures of the “same scale and intensity”, but the wider impact of the tariffs won’t be known for several months.