By People’s Daily
The prevention and control of the novel coronavirus epidemic is essential to the stability of China’s general economic development. Only by keeping stable economic and social operation, can the battle against the virus be firmly supported.
The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Wednesday held a meeting on the prevention and control of the pneumonia epidemic caused by the novel coronavirus. The meeting called on Party committees and governments at all levels to minimize the impact of the epidemic to maintain steady economic performance as well as social harmony and stability, and urged them to strive to achieve this year’s economic and social development goals and tasks.
Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has always put people’s lives and health in the first place, relied on the people and resolutely launched a people’s war against the virus. Besides, it maintained close monitoring on economic operation, precisely controlled the economic impacts of the epidemic, and made timely decisions and deployment.
Party committees and governments at all levels fulfilled their responsibilities, and did a great job in stabilizing employment, the financial sector, foreign trade, foreign and domestic investments, and expectations while enhancing prevention and control of the epidemic. It managed to keep stable production, and maintained normal economic and social orders.
Under the central and unified leadership of the CPC Central Committee, positive changes happened to the epidemic, and effective results have been achieved. A slew of policies and measures to reduce the impacts of the epidemic are taking effects, maintaining the general stability of the society. The whole country, united together, is demonstrating a firm will and strong positive energy to win the battle against the epidemic.
The building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and the 13th Five-Year Plan come to a close in 2020. The “black swan” of the novel coronavirus pneumonia would create difficulties and challenges for China to achieve its annual economic and social development goals. However, the impacts are short-term and periodical, and will not affect the supply of production factors and productivity in the long run. The fundamentals for sound and stable growth of the Chinese economy remain unchanged.
The necessary production factors for high-quality development remain unchanged. And the overall momentum of long-term stability and progress remains unchanged.
China is a major country that has strong resilience, huge potential and enough space for maneuver. As long as it stays confident, faces up to the problems and difficulties, and tries its best to minimize the influence of the epidemic, it will be able to achieve this year’s economic and social development goals and tasks, and guarantee a successful finishing of the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects.
To achieve the goals and tasks, the country must make full efforts to guarantee the prevention and control of the epidemic and strive for an early win. In addition, it should enhance macroeconomic control, give more play to the role of proactive fiscal policies, maintain flexibility of the prudent monetary policy, and roll out periodical and targeted tax reduction measures to relive strains of enterprises.
Meanwhile, the country should offer differentiated and preferential financial services for regions, industries and enterprises that are prone to the impacts of the epidemic, issue policies to ensure employment stability, roll out a package of measures to support micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, expand domestic demand while stabilizing external demand, accelerate a batch of major projects in key areas and expand consumption to offset the impacts.
As long as China sticks to the “bottom-line thinking”, takes proactive actions and ensures resolute efforts, it will be able to achieve a “double-victory” over both epidemic prevention and economic development.
China will surely defeat the virus. Under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, the country will definitely reduce the losses to the lowest, and continue its efforts to build a moderately prosperous society in all respects and eliminate poverty. It will strive for this year’s economic and social development goals and tasks, and head toward its grand goal.
