Xi Chairs Leadership Meeting on Epidemic Control, Economic Development

BEIJING, March 18 (Xinhua) — Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Wednesday chaired a leadership meeting to analyze the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) epidemic prevention and control as well as the economic development at home and abroad.

The meeting also made arrangements for coordinating the epidemic prevention and control with key work of economic and social development.

Xi made an important speech at Wednesday's meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

Xi said the positive trend in preventing and controlling the epidemic has been constantly consolidated and expanded, and the restoration of normal production and everyday life has been quickened.

However, new situations and problems, especially the overseas spread of the virus and its negative impacts on the world economy, have brought new challenges, he said.

Work priorities and response measures should be tailored to changing situations to win the people's war against the epidemic, and secure a decisive victory in building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and fighting poverty, Xi noted.

Xi warned of the complexity and severity of the epidemic situations both at home and abroad.

The tasks of medical treatment, community prevention and control and follow-up work remain arduous in Hubei Province and its capital city of Wuhan, he said.

The risk of outbreak rebounding still exists in other regions due to increasing personnel mobility and crowd gathering, he said.

Xi particularly noted the mounting risk of imported cases as the COVID-19 rapidly spread across the world.

"We should never allow the hard-won and continuous positive trend to be reversed," said Xi.

On international cooperation, Xi required closer cooperation with the World Health Organization to strengthen the analysis and prediction of the changes in the global epidemic situation, and improvement in strategies and policies to cope with imported risks.

He demanded strengthened exchanges and cooperation with other countries in epidemic response and pledged continuous assistance to the best of China's ability.

He also ordered more guidance and support to Chinese nationals overseas and the protection of their lives and health.

Accurate Measures 

Sound and accurate measures should be taken to contain and control the COVID-19 in key regions, according to the meeting, which urged Hubei and Wuhan to proceed with the anti-virus battle with caution and win the war.

The meeting demanded intensified efforts of treating severe cases and reducing the fatality rate. Community-based epidemic control measures should be improved to increase activity space accessible to residents in neighborhoods with no infections.

Work resumption will gradually happen in Wuhan, while in the rest of Hubei control measures will be relaxed in an orderly manner, according to the meeting.

Hubei is asked to actively engage with other provincial-level regions to send workers back to their posts and people grounded in Hubei to their hometowns through point-to-point transportation.

The meeting underlined that great importance should be attached to epidemic prevention and control in Beijing and other key regions.

On preventing the influx of infections, the meeting called for strengthening data and information sharing as well as checks on individuals arriving from overseas. The mechanism of coordinating virus prevention and control strategies with relevant countries must be improved, containment experience sharing be stepped up, and joint scientific research be promoted.

Work Resumption 

With mounting downward pressure on China's economy, the meeting required faster establishment of an economic and social order compatible with epidemic prevention and control.

More work should be done to actively encourage enterprises and institutions to resume work and production in an orderly manner amid efforts to minimize losses caused by epidemic, according to the meeting.

The meeting underscored efforts to restore people's normal work and life in full in low-risk provinces.

Authorities stressed that for the flow of personnel and goods between low-risk regions, necessary health certificates should be recognized nationwide, no more obstacles should be set up and no isolation measures should be taken for people with certificates.

The meeting called for strengthened research and analysis of the global economic situation and timely formation of targeted policies and measures.

With epidemic prevention measures well-implemented, China will provide convenience for business travel, keep the international supply chain unblocked, facilitate investment and exhibition services, and ensure that various economic and trade activities proceed normally, according to the meeting.

(Source: Xinhua)