Summer is when the annual conclave of top Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leaders takes place at the seaside resort of Beidaihe. The CCP’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its mouthpiece seem to work in sync to prepare for this unpublicized event and there’s much we can gain from seeing how they operate in advance of the meeting. The regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is now in an unexpected recess from Aug. 2 to 13 but the Spokesperson’s Office continues to accept questions by fax, E-mail, or WeChat. So far, the ministry has published a Q&A on its website that reflects the significance of the Beidaihe meeting to CCP leader Xi Jinping, who needs to focus on the meeting more than domestic or international affairs. Xi is the CCP’s leadership core, and he has the final say on matters brought up in the regular press conference of the …