Illustration: On March 12, 2023, CCP Politburo Standing Committee members Cai Qi and Li Xi attend a session of the National People’s Congress. (Noel Celis/AFP)
[People News] According to reports from the official media of the Chinese Communist Party, on August 3, Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee and Secretary of the Central Secretariat, visited experts on summer vacation in Beidaihe. He represented the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council in extending sincere greetings to the numerous experts and talents across various sectors and fields nationwide. This visit marks Cai Qi's third engagement with experts in Beidaihe following his visits in 2023 and 2024.
Cai Qi's visit signals that the much-watched Beidaihe meeting is currently taking place. Traditionally, the Communist Party of China holds the Beidaihe meeting from late July to early August each year. Besides discussions and exchanges of views among current high-ranking officials and party elders on specific issues, senior officials may also deliberate on significant matters.
The Hong Kong magazine 'Trends' reported in its August 2015 issue that during early August of that year, Beidaihe hosted five major meetings described as '4 virtual and 1 real.' Over the course of the 12 to 15 days of meetings, a special symposium for retired high-ranking Communist Party officials was also held. The symposium invited over 90 individuals at the national and vice-national levels, with 45 absent due to health or other reasons, and 49 attended. Of the 16 living individuals on the list of national-level officials, only 8 were present. The report indicated that the retired officials engaged in 'self-criticism,' condemning the Communist Party for 'internal corruption and social discontent.' When discussing the 'crisis of party extinction' facing the Communist Party, emotional scenes unfolded, leading to multiple interruptions during the meeting.
However, since Xi Jinping took power, he has gradually dismantled the governance by the elder generation of the Communist Party of China (CPC), particularly after the 19th CPC National Congress, which saw a diminishing significance of the Beidaihe meetings. Last year, during the 20th CPC Central Committee's third plenary session, reports of Xi's serious illness surfaced, along with various signs indicating his loss of military authority and some internal party power. In response, a 'Regulations on the Work of the Central Decision-Making Coordination Institution' was introduced at the Politburo meeting at the end of June this year. Reports indicate that the establishment of this institution is an important institutional arrangement to enhance the CPC Central Committee's unified leadership over major work and to promote the implementation of significant tasks.' This move undoubtedly undermines Xi's position.
With the groundwork laid for the erosion of Xi's power within the CPC, it is noteworthy whether the elder generation of the CPC, who are operating behind the scenes, will finalise the power distribution before the fourth plenary session in October.
Furthermore, a comparison of Cai Qi's statements over the past three years indicates that Xi's standing has significantly diminished.
During a meeting with experts this year, Cai Qi first highlighted that 'the CPC Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core' prioritises talent work in governance. He then remarked that Xi 'has always been concerned about experts and talents,' and concluded by expressing hope that the experts would embrace 'Xi Thought' and implement the spirit of the 20th CPC National Congress, as well as the second and third plenary sessions of the 20th Central Committee, while also including the customary loyalty phrase 'two four four two.'
In the report of the meeting held on the same day in 2024, Cai Qi (Cài Qí) emphasised that Xi Jinping (Xí Jìnpíng) "always cares for and values experts and talents." He then remarked that the 20th Central Committee's Third Plenary Session had provided a "broad platform for Chinese-style modernisation." Finally, he expressed hope that experts would study "Xi Thought" and implement the spirit of the 20th Central Committee's Third Plenary Session of the Communist Party of China (CPC), along with the customary loyalty phrase of "two four four two."
In the report from the 2023 meeting, Cai Qi began by stating that Xi Jinping and the Party Central Committee "place great importance on talent work." Since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, Xi has "issued a series of important directives on talent work from the strategic perspective of achieving national rejuvenation, made significant arrangements for the thorough implementation of the new era's talent power strategy, and has led the new era's talent work to achieve historic accomplishments and undergo significant transformations." He concluded by noting that the entire Party is currently engaged in a deep educational initiative focused on learning "Xi Thought," and he hopes that experts will adhere to the "two four four two" and "remember Xi Jinping's earnest expectations for the vast number of experts and talents," among other points.
As someone who was promoted by Xi Jinping, Cai Qi is quite adept at the art of flattery, reminiscent of how Lin Biao (Lín Biāo) once praised Mao Zedong (Mào Zédōng). In his statements during meetings with experts over the past three years, the year 2023 reveals the true Cai Qi, where his praise for Xi is subtly embedded in every phrase. However, the remarks made in 2024 and 2025 noticeably lack such flattery.
What is particularly noteworthy is that Cai Qi's references have evolved from 'Xi Jinping and the Party Central Committee' in 2023, to simply 'Xi Jinping' in 2024, and then to 'the Party Central Committee with Xi Jinping at its core' in 2025. This progression clearly indicates a weakening of Xi's status. If in August 2024, Cai Qi was still uncertain about how to articulate his thoughts following Xi's incident, this year, he has notably downgraded his reference to Xi, who was previously regarded as above the 'Party Central Committee', to merely 'the core of the Party Central Committee'. This change strongly suggests that the rumours regarding Xi's diminishing power are indeed grounded in reality. Additionally, the information shared by Cai Qi also hints at the tone of the Beidaihe meeting.
(First published by the People News) △
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