On March 18th, the Standing Committee of the Central Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee chaired a meeting to analyze epidemic and economic situations both at home and abroad, and studied coordinated deployment to epidemic prevention and control and socioeconomic development work. Xi Jinping, secretary general of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting and delivered an important speech.
Xi noted that 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 posed new challenges. 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 warned of the complexity and severity of the epidemic situations both at home and abroad while giving full recognition to the prevention and control work. The tasks of medical treatment, community prevention and control and follow-up work remain arduous in Hubei province and its capital city of Wuhan. The risk of outbreak rebounding still exists in other regions due to increasing personnel mobility and crowd gathering, the mounting risk of imported cases in particular as the COVID-19 rapidly spread across the world. We should never allow the hard-won and continuous positive trend to be reversed. It is urged to enhance international 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. It is also required to reinforce exchanges and cooperation with other countries in epidemic response and pledge to assist the rest of the world to the best of China’s ability. We should offer more guidance and support to Chinese nationals overseas and the protection of their lives and health.
The meeting underscored scientific and targeted measures to stem and control the COVID-19 in key regions, which demand Hubei and Wuhan’s continuing efforts to win the battle against the epidemic and defend Hubei and Wuhan. It is required to step up more efforts to treat severe cases and reduce 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. 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. Great importance should be attached to epidemic prevention and control in Beijing and other key regions.
The meeting stressed the important task of preventing the influx of infectious, 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.
The meeting required faster establishment of an economic and social order compatible with epidemic prevention and control in view of mounting downward pressure on China’s economy. 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. We should make great efforts to restore people’s normal work and life in full in low-risk provinces. 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.
The meeting also studied other issues.