Will a Secretive Meeting in Beijing This August Decide Major Changes?

Recently, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent told reporters that Zhongnanhai will hold an important closed-door meeting this coming August. (Online screenshot)

[People News] Recently, U.S. Treasury Secretary Bessent told reporters that Zhongnanhai will hold an important closed-door meeting this coming August. His remark is seen as a possible hint that a new General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might be chosen at this meeting.

On July 18, scholar Liu Junning made a striking post on his X (formerly Twitter) account, asking: “Who will be the new General Secretary?” He quoted Treasury Secretary Bessent, who said that Zhongnanhai will convene a major closed-door meeting in early August to decide whether the CCP will change its leadership.

Liu Junning’s interpretation stems from Bessent’s response to a question regarding U.S.-China trade and tariff negotiations. Bessent said the CCP would hold a significant secret meeting in August—specifically using the word “conclave.”

Some netizens explained that the word “conclave” originates from the Latin “conclāve,” meaning “a locked room” or “chamber,” formed from “con-” (together) and “clāvis” (key)—literally, “a place locked with a key.” In ancient Rome, it originally referred to a private, lockable room.

During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church adopted the term to describe the secretive gatherings of cardinals to elect a new Pope. Following reforms to papal election rules in 1268, cardinals were required to conduct the election in a sealed environment to avoid outside interference. This practice tightly linked the term “conclave” to the secretive process of choosing a pope.

In English, “conclave” was borrowed from Latin around the 14th century, retaining the sense of a secret or private meeting. Over time, its meaning broadened to include any small, exclusive, or confidential gathering. Today, it can refer to both papal elections and any kind of closed, high-level meeting.

Liu Junning’s post sparked heated discussions online.

Some users noted that “conclave” simply implies a private meeting—often used to describe closed-door gatherings of leadership figures (within a company, industry, or political party), usually held in non-routine venues like resorts. They pointed out that Bessent was referring to the Beidaihe Meeting, which English-language sources often call the CCP summer conclave.

Other users noted that Bessent had been discussing trade negotiations with He Lifeng when he mentioned this high-level closed-door meeting—suggesting he brought it up because he believes the outcomes of that meeting will significantly impact ongoing talks.

In response, Liu Junning clarified that the closed-door meeting Bessent referred to in early August is not the publicly held Fourth Plenary Session, nor is it a meeting with the U.S. trade delegation. Rather, it's a smaller, internal meeting that sets the tone ahead of the plenary session. Liu emphasised that as a disciplined financial official, Bessent chose his words carefully. He didn’t say the CCP was replacing its General Secretary, only that there would be a conclave—a meeting akin to a papal election in secrecy and significance. In China, Liu noted, the more important a meeting is, the smaller and more secretive it tends to be.

He added that Bessent likely wasn’t speculating based on rumours. As a senior U.S. Cabinet official, Bessent receives daily briefings compiled from multiple official intelligence sources, not gossip.

One post noted: “Isn’t it already rumoured that someone will step down in August? I interpret it as a closed-door expanded Politburo meeting to discuss such matters. The Treasury Secretary’s remarks merely confirm this rumour.”

Another netizen agreed: “This time I think it’s possible they’ll ‘change the Pope.’ But it’s still highly uncertain. The death of Li Keqiang shocked and alarmed many within the Party, including the elders. There are still some rules within the CCP.”

Professor Zhang Tianliang of Fei Tian College said on his show “Tianliang’s Analysis” that people may be too eager for Xi Jinping to step down, so any potential signal is amplified. He believes Bessent was referring to the annual Beidaihe meeting that occurs around late July to early August. However, he also pointed out that since Hu Jintao took office, the importance of the Beidaihe meeting has declined, and it is no longer the official summer office location. These days, it's mainly a retreat for senior leaders and retired elders.

Each summer, current and former CCP leaders gather in Beidaihe for vacation and rest. Although unofficial, this gathering is believed by outsiders to be a venue for high-level power struggles and political deals. Major policy decisions and personnel changes are often quietly finalised during these informal discussions.

Independent commentator “Gongzi Shiping” stated that China’s key policies are not decided at events like the National People’s Congress or the CPPCC. Though the Beidaihe meeting receives no media coverage or public oversight, far-reaching policies affecting the entire nation are quietly decided in these leisurely afternoon chats. In CCP politics, appearance and reality rarely match. The highly publicised “Two Sessions” are mostly ceremonial for show.

Gongzi Shiping believes that given China’s ongoing economic crisis, capital flight, soaring youth unemployment, and tense international relations, this year’s Beidaihe meeting is especially critical—it will set the tone for the political direction following the summer.

Hu Ping, honorary editor-in-chief of Beijing Spring, once summarised it this way: “The CCP always holds big meetings for small problems, small meetings for big problems. Real problems are solved without meetings, and meetings solve no real problems.”

Liu Junning also noted that the small meeting Deng Xiaoping held at home to remove Hu Yaobang from the General Secretary post was a classic example of a conclave.

In the end, what mysterious meeting will be held in Beijing and what major decisions it will yield remain uncertain. Under the CCP’s opaque political system, even when August comes, the curtain may never be lifted.

(Originally published by People News)