The Chinese Communist Party’s top officials have activated security measures for the annual closed-door meeting in Beidaihe ahead of schedule this year. Recently, in Beijing, Jilin, Hunan, and other areas, many petitioners attempted to travel to Beidaihe for grievances, only to be intercepted and sent back by local authorities or personnel stationed in Beijing, with some individuals missing. Qian Dalong, a victim of vaccine side effects, and his friend attempted to go to Beidaihe, but were restricted by the police from leaving.
For years, the Beidaihe meeting, although not openly listed on the CCP’s political agenda, has always been considered an important internal consultation mechanism for the party’s top leadership during the summer. The meeting usually takes place in late July to early August in an informal manner, where current leaders and retired senior officials discuss economic policies, personnel arrangements, international situations, and other issues for the second half of the year.
A resident of Beidaihe, Mr. Huang, told Epoch Times that during this time of the year, Beidaihe becomes a politically sensitive area, with movements of petitioners, dissidents, and rights activists being strictly monitored. He revealed, “This year’s security measures seem to be earlier than usual. In the past, it was towards the end of July when more police would be seen on the streets and important intersections would have guard posts, but now they have already appeared.”
Petitioners from various regions have faced obstacles on their way to Beijing or Beidaihe. A petitioner from Shaanxi said her friend who came from Xi’an to Beijing in the hopes of petitioning during the Beidaihe meeting period was unable to do so, as her ID was flagged while trying to buy tickets at the Beijing station. She was taken away by interceptors.
The same petitioner also shared that “Little Wu” from Jilin also tried to go to Beidaihe, but he was forcibly taken back to his hometown by personnel stationed in Beijing after being discovered at the Beijing station. Despite their attempts to contact him later, his whereabouts are unknown.
Local governments in various regions have a “Beijing liaison office” responsible for monitoring and repatriating local petitioners who travel to Beijing. While such occurrences are not uncommon, they become more severe during the Beidaihe meeting period.
Beijing’s COVID-19 vaccine victim, Qian Dalong, has also become a subject of surveillance. According to Mr. Li, Qian did not publicly announce any plans to go to Beidaihe but only mentioned in private messages on WeChat that he wanted to “take a look at Beidaihe.” Li added that after Qian sent him a message on the evening of July 7, police cars were seen near his home the next morning, implying that he was not allowed to leave.
Qian confirmed in the chat group that he was monitored by the police on July 8 and shared a photo of the police car parked downstairs at his house.
Mr. Li added that this response indicates that the authorities are conducting real-time monitoring of private communications: “It shows that even private WeChat chats are not secure. He did not say anything publicly, yet he was restricted. This is a typical high-pressure police state with no privacy.”
Qian Dalong has been advocating for his rights after suffering severe side effects from the COVID-19 vaccine, attempting to bring attention to his situation through petitions and media exposure, but facing repeated suppression. His experience illustrates that any individual trying to express grievances during the Beidaihe meeting period quickly becomes a target of stability maintenance.
Several human rights activists in Beijing also confirmed that authorities have recently heightened restrictions on dissidents’ activities. Zhang, who has long been involved in advocating for civil rights, stated that the police now proactively come knocking on doors, inquiring about individuals’ plans, where they want to go, what they want to do, and who they intend to meet, specifically warning against going to Beidaihe and making online comments.
Zhang believes that this “door-knocking” approach is not out of special concern for individuals but rather a systematic stability maintenance arrangement: “Their biggest task now is to ‘maintain stability,’ they would rather mistakenly catch a hundred people than let one go. Especially at this time, anyone appearing near Beidaihe might be considered a political risk.”
A resident with the surname Huang in Beidaihe mentioned that recently, hotels and guesthouses near the Beidaihe resort area have been requisitioned by the government, making it difficult for ordinary tourists to stay. He commented, “Several seaside hotels near our home have been taken over, and many locals have been advised not to rent out their houses. Now, there are noticeably fewer tourists, and the whole city feels like it’s under martial law.”
The Beidaihe meeting of the Chinese Communist Party began in 1954 as a summer office for Mao Zedong and other central leaders, also known as the “Summer Capital.” After the eruption of the Cultural Revolution in 1965, the mechanism was temporarily suspended. It briefly resumed in 1984, only to be abolished again at the beginning of Hu Jintao’s tenure in 2002. Since Xi Jinping came to power, the Beidaihe meeting has once again become an important platform for the CCP’s top leadership to discuss national affairs internally.