Rumors of Four-Point Consensus at Beidaihe Meeting, Zhongnanhai Shrouded in Uncertainty

CCP recently held Beidaihe meeting. (Free images)

[People News] After the Beidaihe meeting, the State Council Information Office of the CCP (SCIO) held a press conference at 10 a.m. on August 20 to introduce preparations for the September 3rd military parade. Wu Zeke, Deputy Director of the Parade Leading Group Office, stressed that the military must “always be loyal to the core, support the core, safeguard the core, and defend the core,” repeatedly mentioning “Chairman Xi.” Analysts believe Zhongnanhai remains clouded in uncertainty, with intense internal power struggles continuing. Who will ultimately prevail remains to be seen.

According to Dajiyuan, independent scholar Wu Zuolai analyzed that this might be Xi Jinping’s faction using the press conference to build momentum, because the message he received was that Xi must still remain the “core” in order to maintain Party-state stability. “At least until the 21st Party Congress, Xi Jinping will still be the core. That will remain unchanged. But this kind of excessive fanfare may have ulterior motives.”

On August 15, Wu Zuolai revealed exclusively on his personal channel Slow Talk on the Mountain the “Four-Point Consensus” reached at the Beidaihe meeting:

1. To maintain stability within the CCP Central Committee, Xi Jinping will continue in his post, serving as the top leader, and propaganda will remain consistent, but excessive personal cult propaganda is not permitted.

2. Xi Jinping will not be allowed to seek further re-election.

3. A relative separation of power between Party, government, and military.

4. A central Party coordinating body will oversee work related to the Fourth Plenary Session and begin preparations for the 21st Party Congress.

Wu Zuolai added that this process had already begun, citing Shi Taifeng replacing Li Ganjie as head of the Organization Department as one example.

U.S.-based political commentator Tang Jingyuan told Dajiyuan that the CCP currently faces two major events: the upcoming parade and the Fourth Plenary Session in October, with the latter being more significant.

He argued that identifying who presides over the parade does not necessarily confirm who truly controls military power, because the parade is largely ceremonial. “The person leading the parade does not necessarily hold full military authority. For instance, Hu Jintao presided over parades during his tenure, but military power was not in his hands at all—it rested with Guo Boxiong and Xu Caihou. During Hu’s entire ten-year term, his military power was effectively hollowed out by these Jiang faction heavyweights.”

Tang stressed that the real event to watch is the Fourth Plenary Session, which may involve major personnel reshuffles in key positions of real authority—an indicator of whether Xi Jinping truly still holds power.

Current affairs commentator Li Linyi also told Dajiyuan that the CCP’s recent purges of senior officials have mostly been kept secret, with an ever-darker black box of operations—indicating power struggles even fiercer than before. In particular, around Xi Jinping’s authority, deliberate smokescreens are being created. Yet, as Li pointed out, the collapse of the former Soviet Union also took Western observers by surprise. Chinese history is no different: tyranny will inevitably perish.