TOKYO -- Not unlike the Papal Conclave convened to elect the Pope, China's annual summer gathering at the beach resort of Beidaihe, in Hebei Province, is cloaked in secrecy.
Incumbent leaders, headed by President Xi Jinping, are said to face retired party elders at Beidaihe, to hear their views on the state of the nation. Few if any official news reports come out of the gathering.
