Beidaihe, the seaside resort 180 miles east of Beijing, occupies a special place in Chinese politics. At the end of July and beginning of August each year, members of the Politburo and other senior Chinese officials gather here to escape the sweltering heat of Beijing -- and make critical policy and personnel decisions.
President Xi Jinping and his colleagues may have little time to enjoy the cool breeze when they meet at Beidaihe in the coming weeks because they have to deal with the escalating crisis in Hong Kong, the continuing trade war with the U.S. and a long list of urgent economic and foreign policy issues.
