PLA to try again to eliminate "toxic influences"; Tibet dam project; Involution; Trump’s softening approach to China; More Americans exit banned

Summary of today’s Essential Eight:

1. CMC regulations on “Vigorously Promoting Fine Traditions, Thoroughly Eliminating Toxic Influences, and Reshaping the Image and Authority of Political Cadres” - The Central Military Commission has issued these new regulations, though publicly we only have a summary and a PLA Daily commentary about them. This is likely an indication that the Miao Hua and perhaps He Weidong cases have reached conclusions, and that we will hear more about one or both at the upcoming July Politburo meeting, or some other meeting before the August 1 anniversary of the founding of the PLA. I believe the last time the PLA talked about ridding the organization of “toxic influences” was in the context of the Xu Caihou case over a decade ago.

Speaking of the July Politburo meeting, Zhao Leji is going to Kyrgyzstan, Hungary, and Switzerland from July 23 to 31, so does that mean the July Politburo meeting will be held in the next couple of days before he leaves, or convene wit…