Chinas Beidaihe Meetings Focus on 2027 Leadership, AI, and Chip Push

Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders are using their annual Beidaihe retreat to begin laying the groundwork for the Party’s next national congress while seeking to accelerate advances in AI, semiconductors, and other strategic technologies, according to insiders close to CCP elites.The closed-door meetings began on Aug. 1 and are expected to continue through Aug. 15.The discussions are focused primarily on preparations for the CCP’s 21st National Congress, expected in the fall of 2027, and on strengthening China’s technological capabilities, particularly in areas where Beijing faces restrictions on access to Western technology.Several individuals spoke to The Epoch Times on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal.An insider from within the CCP said one of the substantive decisions at this year’s Beidaihe meetings was to determine the core members of the group that will draft the political report for the 21st National Congress.The group is also expected to help shape the party’s political and technological direction for the coming years, the insider said.After the Beidaihe meetings conclude, the drafting process will continue, with members expected to travel to different regions and government departments in the fall to conduct research.Drafting of the report is expected to begin in November.A Beijing-based analyst of CCP politics told The Epoch Times that it is normal for preparations for the 21st National Congress to start now.“This definitely has to be done in advance. Personnel arrangements will be discussed during the Beidaihe meetings, especially because there is still uncertainty surrounding the top levels of military power,” the analyst said.The leadership lineup, however, is unlikely to be finalized at Beidaihe, he said.The composition of the next Politburo Standing Committee is considered particularly sensitive and is typically not settled until much closer to the congress.“The Beidaihe meetings are mainly about determining the political direction,” the analyst said.Personnel Planning BeginsThe discussions come as Xi Jinping has entered a third term as CCP leader following the CCP’s 20th National Congress in 2022.The military and defense-industrial sectors have undergone repeated personnel changes in recent years, adding uncertainty to the leadership lineup ahead of the next congress.An insider familiar with China’s political system told The Epoch Times that personnel decisions involving the Politburo, top provincial and municipal officials, and key military positions are expected to move into a new phase of screening after the Beidaihe meetings.He explained that this process would involve quietly floating potential decisions among senior officials to gauge resistance before formally advancing them.“Since they are worried there may be too much opposition, they release information in advance to see how many people resist the decisions made by the top leadership,” he said.“If there is not much opposition, it can pass smoothly. If many people oppose it, then they have to think of another way.”The political report to the CCP National Congress is particularly important because it sets out the leadership’s policy direction for the party as a whole and provides a framework for the regime’s priorities for the following five years.A former Chinese official now based in Europe told The Epoch Times the drafting group traditionally includes officials and experts from different regions and government departments, including prominent writers for CCP theoretical publications and scholars specializing in party history.The former official recalled that members of the group drafting the political report for the 17th National Congress in 2007 were subjected to strict secrecy measures.“I remember that back then, members of the group drafting the political report for the 17th National Congress were not allowed to return home for more than six months, nor were they allowed to contact their families, because they were afraid the content would be leaked and taken by so-called overseas hostile forces to cause disruption,” he said.“It’s because this report directly determines how the CCP’s policies will proceed over the next five years.”Chinese delegates follow along as they listen to a speech during the opening session of the National People’s Congress at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, on March 5, 2026. Kevin Frayer/Getty ImagesAI and Semiconductor AmbitionsAlongside political and personnel preparations, insiders revealed that the CCP leadership is devoting significant attention to China’s technological capabilities, with AI, semiconductors, and other key technologies emerging as priorities.Chinese state media Xinhua New Agency on Aug. 9 published a report on this year’s Beidaihe summer activities for experts.According to the report, 60 experts in basic research, cutting-edge strategic technology, key core technologies, and the social sciences were invited to Beidaihe from Aug. 1 to Aug. 7.The focus on strategic and core technologies comes as China faces growing difficulties obtaining some of the advanced technologies needed to develop cutting-edge semiconductors and AI.A Chinese semiconductor industry insider told The Epoch Times the country’s biggest technological obstacles include advanced semiconductor manufacturing processes, high-end lithography equipment, electronic design automation software, key materials, and the high-performance computing chips needed for AI.“In the development of AI, it still comes down to computing power and high-end chips,” he said. “After the United States and its allies restrict these technologies, China wants to buy them directly through the market.“[However], it is becoming increasingly difficult, so China can only pour money into developing them itself.”The emphasis on technology at Beidaihe is not entirely new.The CCP’s 2025 summer expert program also brought together specialists in technology, research, and the social sciences.However, this year’s official account placed separate emphasis on “strategic cutting-edge technology” and “key core technologies,” with repeated references to semiconductors, AI, and quantum technology.The combination of political succession planning and technological development reflects the challenges facing the CCP as it prepares for the next five-year policy cycle, according to a Chinese political affairs observer.The observer told The Epoch Times that the simultaneous focus on personnel and technology underscores the importance Beijing places on competition with the United States.“Put plainly, the technology issue means that U.S.-China competition will continue. Xi Jinping wants ‘the East to rise and the West to decline,’ but what does China still have that can support the next five years?” he said. “I think this is really a big joke.”Technicians work on chip-processing equipment at a semiconductor manufacturing plant in Suqian, in eastern China’s Jiangsu province, on Oct. 20, 2025. STR/AFP via Getty ImagesJiang Fei contributed to this report.