On August 3, 2026, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo Standing Committee Member Cai Qi met with experts in Beidaihe, marking the customary “Beidaihe Time” for senior CCP leaders. State Councillor Shen Yiqin did not accompany Cai Qi as usual for the meeting, and the current reasons for this are unclear.
According to Xinhua News Agency, CCP Politburo Standing Committee Member and Secretary of the Central Secretariat Cai Qi, “commissioned by Xi Jinping”, visited vacationing experts in Beidaihe on August 3, 2026, with CCP Organization Department Minister Shi Taifeng and State Councillor and Secretary General of the State Council Wu Zhenglong in attendance.
This year, experts on basic research, cutting-edge technologies, key core technologies, and fields of philosophy and social sciences represented those on vacation in Beidaihe.
Since the 20th National Congress of the CCP, Politburo Standing Committee Member and Secretary of the Central Secretariat Cai Qi has traditionally met with experts in Beidaihe every early August.
In the years 2023 and 2024, when Cai Qi met with vacationing experts in Beidaihe, CCP Politburo members and then Organization Department Minister Li Ganjie, State Councillor Shen Yiqin, and Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference Jiang Xinzhi accompanied the meeting.
In August 2025, CCP Politburo member and Organization Department Minister Shi Taifeng, and State Councillor Shen Yiqin, two vice-ministerial-level officials, accompanied Cai Qi for the meeting. 67-year-old Jiang Xinzhi did not attend the meeting as usual, and later stepped down from his position as Deputy Head of the Central Organization Department in September 2025.
It is noteworthy that State Councillor Shen Yiqin has accompanied Cai Qi for the past three years at the meetings, but this year State Councillor and Secretary General of the State Council Wu Zhenglong attended in her place.
Currently, the reason why Shen Yiqin did not attend the meeting as usual is unclear; as of the time of publication, there have been no reports of Shen Yiqin’s public activities on August 3, 2026.
On the afternoon of July 30, 2026, the CCP Politburo held a collective study session; CCTV reported that Shen Yiqin and other State Councillors attended the meeting.
According to public information, Shen Yiqin, a Bai ethnic group member, born in December 1959 in Zhijin, Guizhou, held various positions in the CCP in Guizhou from 1995 to 2022 before becoming a State Councillor after the 20th National Congress of the CCP. She oversees work in civil affairs, human resources and social security, veteran affairs, culture, tourism, sports, and other fields.
In recent years, the political landscape of Guizhou, where Shen Yiqin had long served, has seen a series of purges of provincial-level and department-level officials, including Shen Yiqin’s former partner and former Guizhou CCP Party Secretary Sun Zhigang, and former secretary Ding Xiongjun.
On July 31, 2026, the CCP Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced: During the summer of 2026, regular press conferences will be on break from August 3 (Monday) to August 14 (Friday), resuming on August 17 (Monday).
Traditionally, from late July to early August each year, senior CCP officials vacation or hold meetings in Beidaihe, often “conveying regards” to experts in charge of party construction or personnel matters. Cai Qi’s public activity this time signifies the entry of CCP’s high-level leadership into the “Beidaihe Time.”
Speculation suggests that the secretive Beidaihe meeting this year is closely related to the agenda for the upcoming Fifth Plenum to be held in October and personnel changes at the 21st National Congress.
Official reports stated that on July 30, 2026, the CCP Politburo convened a meeting, deciding to hold the Fifth Plenum in October 2026, with the main agenda being to report to the Central Committee and discuss “advancing the comprehensive and strict governance of the party.” Analysts point out that this indicates an escalation of infighting among senior CCP officials, signaling a broader internal purge within the party.