Workshop sets tone for 20th Party Congress; Biden-Xi call Thursday; Taiwan

Summary of today’s Essential Eight:

1. 20th Party Congress study workshop for the provincial and ministerial officials - As I suggested he might in the July 11 Sinocism, Xi has convened a study workshop for the provincial and ministerial officials, as he did in July 2017. The 2017 meeting set the tone for the 19th Party Congress, and this meeting is setting the tone for the 20th Party Congress, to be held sometime this Fall. CCTV Evening News had a 16 minute report on the meeting. I consider this as yet another in a long string of signals that Xi is going to be very much large and charge at the 20th Party Congress and beyond.

2. Chen Yixin on political construction in political and legal affairs system - Chen Yixin, secretary general of the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission, is one of the possible candidates to replace Guo Shengkun as the Politburo member in charge of the political and legal affairs system. The latest issue of Study Times carries a page 1 article from him based…