Today’s Essential Eight items:

1. Struggle session for investors continues

2. Is China changing its nuclear weapons doctrine?

3. US-China

4. Nanjing outbreak

5. Hong Kong

6. Population concerns

7. More signals on real estate

8. Korean War blockbuster coming to theaters

If tradition holds Xi and the top leadership will disappear around August 1 for about two weeks. They may go to Beidaihe for some or all of that period but we do not really know for sure. If another tradition holds we should expect lots of speculative pieces about elite political machinations around this two week “disappearance”. Be wary of anything you read about Beidaihe claiming whispered insights into factional struggles and elder interventions.

Vacation announcement: I will be taking my annual Beidaihe break as well, though we will not be going anywhere as nice as that beach town. The newsletter will be off the first week of August, back the second week but on a reduced schedule unless there is something big going on, and then off August 16-17 to c…