China’s hi-tech scientists have a moment in the Beidaihe sun at political elite’s retreat

Dozens of researchers in high-priority fields such as AI and quantum physics invited to annual gathering on the Bohai Sea

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Politburo member Cai Qi (seated centre) was on hand to greet dozens of prominent researchers in Beidaihe, Hebei province, on August 3. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 6:00am, 10 Aug 2024Updated: 7:02am, 10 Aug 2024

Some of China’s leading lights in artificial intelligence, quantum physics, deep-sea exploration and aerospace were invited to the political elite’s annual summer retreat this year, highlighting Beijing’s priorities in its tech self-reliance drive.

Among the nearly five dozen researchers in the natural and social sciences at the Beidaihe seaside resort in Hebei province were computational scientist Andrew Yao Chi-Chih and award-winning physicist Xue Qikun.

The researchers were invited by the Communist Party’s decision-making Central Committee and the State Council, and greeted by Cai Qi, President Xi Jinping’s chief of staff and the party’s No 5 official.

Cai was joined by the party’s personnel chief, Li Ganjie, and Vice-Premier Shen Yiqin, a state councillor in charge of culture and education.

The retreat in Beidaihe, a coastal town on the Bohai Bay, about 300km (186 miles) east of Beijing, is also known as the “summer summit” and a traditional gathering of the party’s elders and power brokers.

This year it started on August 1 and wrapped up on Wednesday.

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