Xi convenes another big meeting; Hong Kong protests; Education reforms; ASF worse than reported; Open letter

We are nearly flooded out here in DC and a tree narrowly missed Sinocism HQ an hour ago so today’s commentary is limited. Among the items in today’s Essential Eight:

• Xi convened a meeting of top Party, State and PLA officials to discuss progress in the bureaucratic reforms from last year’s Third Plenum, reforms whose main goal is to increase Party control;

• Based on official comments there should be very low expectations for progress any time soon in the US-China trade negotiations, even with a likely call this week between the top negotiators;

• The education system is getting a revamp. More patriotic education and support for rural schools and teachers are coming, as are more controls on online games and short-form videos;

• Protests in Hong Kong continued again over the weekend, and everyone should be nervous about where they are headed. Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Pompeo just met Apple Daily publisher Jimmy Lai in DC, in a move that is sure to fuel belief in mainland China of a US rol…