Liu Yunshan re-emerges, suggesting Beidaihe policy talks winding down
Liu Yunshan's Beijing event suggests policy summit in Beidaihe is reaching its conclusion
A top Communist Party's official's reappearance in Beijing yesterday hinted at an end to the closely watched policy meetings in the coastal resort town of Beidaihe.
Liu Yunshan, who ranks fifth on the Politburo's all-powerful Standing Committee, appeared in Beijing to host a meeting on the Communist Party's "mass line" education campaign, according to China Central Television.
The mass line is jargon coined by Mao Zedong to describe the party's need to stay in touch with the public, but the subject matter was seen by many as less significance than Liu's presence. Liu heads the party's Secretariat and serves as its propaganda tsar and would be expected to be part of any top-level discussions in advance of key policy meetings this autumn.
"This hints that Chinese leaders might be wrapping up their Beidaihe summit," said Zhang Lifan , a political affairs commentator.
Most of the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee have been out of the public view for nearly two weeks, coinciding with the annual start time of the secretive policy conclave.
The last time a Standing Committee member was seen was when Yu Zhengsheng concluded a six-day trip to Tibet on August 6. Liu's visit to Beidaihe the previous day was viewed as a signal that the meetings were beginning.
