BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping’s chief of staff met experts holidaying at Beidaihe on Thursday, a signal that typically means top leaders have started their holiday at the seaside resort, even as large areas of northern China remain flooded. The summer retreat comes as questions continue to swirl around the unexplained removal as foreign minister of Qin Gang, a former rising star under Mr Xi’s patronage, the abrupt replacement of the top brass at the People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force, and as the leadership struggles to find the right tools to stimulate the economy. Beidaihe has traditionally provided a…