Thanks to everyone who participated in last Friday’s open thread. We had another great discussion, and I am so thankful we have such a smart and civil community in which we can discuss issues related to China. Those spaces are constricting just about everywhere else.

The top leadership looks to be resuming normal schedules after Beidaihe, and roughly in line with the timelines of recent years. Premier Li Keqiang chaired a State Council Executive Committee earlier today, and Wang Huning attended a session of the All-China Youth Federation and a congress of the All-China Students' Federation in Beijing.

In 2019 Li Keqiang reappeared to chair a State Council executive meeting on August 16, and reports of other Standing Committee members holding meetings followed over the next several days. Xi did not reappear in a photo on the front page of People’s Daily until August 23, in a report on his inspection tour of Gansu.

In 2018 Li Keqiang reappeared to chair a State Council executive meeting o…