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William Zheng

In a meeting on an unprecedented scale, Chinese President Xi Jinping said the coronavirus epidemic was the country’s most serious public health crisis and promised more pro-growth policies to help overcome it.
According to state news agency Xinhua, Xi’s address via teleconference on Sunday was open to every county government and every military regiment throughout the country.
He said the epidemic was “the fastest spreading, with the most infected and was the most difficult to prevent and control” since the founding of the People’s Republic.
“This is a crisis for us and it is also a major test,” he said, acknowledging that the country needed to learn from the “obvious shortcomings exposed” in its response, so it could improve its ability to handle future crises.
Prisons must learn from outbreak, China’s top legal official says
But Xi also told the Communist Party cadres that “the party Central Committee’s assessment of the epidemic is accurate, all the work arrangements are timely, and the measures adopted are effective”.
“The effectiveness of the prevention and control work has once again demonstrated the significant advantages of the leadership of the Communist Party of China and the socialist system with Chinese characteristics,” he said.
He said that controlling the outbreak in the central Chinese city of Wuhan and the wider province of Hubei as well as preventing the epidemic from spreading to Beijing, China’s political centre, were the country’s top two strategic goals.
“First, [we must] resolutely curb the spread of epidemic ... increase the rate of treatment and cure, and reduce the infection and death rates effectively in Hubei and Wuhan,” he said.
“Second, [we need to] make every effort to prevent and control the spread in Beijing ... strengthen joint defenses and control in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, and cut off the source of infection as much as possible.”


Xi’s comments came as the number of confirmed cases neared 77,000 in mainland China, with more than 2,400 people dead. Hubei province, the epicentre of the outbreak, accounted for most of the cases and death toll.
But there are signs of improvement. Excluding Hubei, there were 18 new confirmed cases on Saturday, a new low for this month, while 21 Chinese provinces said they had no new confirmed cases including Beijing.
As of Saturday, Beijing has 399 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection with four deaths and 189 people discharged. Although there were no new cases reported on Saturday, a string of hospital infections announced on Thursday hit hopes that the capital would soon return to normal.
According to footage aired by state broadcaster CCTV, all those taking part in the meeting, either in person or by video link, wore masks, except for Xi and six other members of the Politburo Standing Committee, who sat on a stage away from other participants.


While also acknowledging the epidemic would inevitably “have a considerable impact on the Chinese economy and society”, Xi said “the fundamentals of China’s long-term economic growth have not changed, and the impact of the epidemic is short term and overall controllable”.
While urging the various government leaders to push for a return to work and production, depending on the circumstances, Xi also promised more policies to stimulate economic growth.
“Fiscal policies will be more proactive, [we will] continue to study and introduce targeted cuts in taxes and fees in stages to help small, medium and micro enterprises overcome difficulties. The prudent monetary policy should be more focused on flexibility and moderation, [we should] make good use of existing financial support policies, and introduce new policy measures in a timely manner,” Xi said.
Wuhan to quarantine all cured patients for 14 days after some test positive again
Xi also vowed to stabilise foreign trade and investment.
“[We must] make full use of compliant foreign trade policy tools such as export tax rebates and export credit insurance to ensure the smooth operation of the foreign trade industrial chain and supply chain and ensure that major foreign investment projects land,” he said.
He said China would also continue to pursue its economic and social goals this year, including job creation, poverty alleviation and maintaining social stability.
Xi also conveyed “sincere gratitude to compatriots in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, and overseas Chinese for their support in China’s fight with the epidemic”.


The meeting was presided over by Premier Li Keqiang and attended by the other members of the Politburo Standing Committee, the Communist Party’s highest decision-making body.
This meeting came a day before the Standing Committee of China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress, is due to consider delaying the annual meeting of the parliamentary session, originally expected to get under way on March 5.
The NPC Standing Committee will also consider measures to curb practices that may have contributed to the virus’s transmission to humans, including a ban on the wildlife trade and the consumption of game meat.

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Communist Party and state leaders attend a meeting in Beijing on Sunday to advance the work on coordinating the prevention and control of the epidemic. Photo: Xinhua

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epaselect epa08237764 An Iranian woman and her child wearing face masks walk on a street of Tehran, Iran, 22 February 2020. According to the Iranian Ministry of Health, 28 people were diagnosed with coronavirus in the country and five people died of the disease in Iran. The disease caused by the virus (SARS-CoV-2) has been officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO). EPA-EFE/ABEDIN TAHERKENAREH

An Iranian voter wears a mask and shows his ID during parliamentary elections at the Shah Abdul Azim shrine on the southern outskirts of Tehran on February 21, 2020. - Iran's health ministry today reported two more deaths among 13 new cases of coronavirus in the Islamic republic, bringing the total number of deaths to four and infections to 18. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iranian plane arrives at the Najaf airport, Iraq, Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. Iraqi authorities are taking precautions at Najaf and other Iraqi airports, as well as at the border gates with Iran, after the discovery of the new virus that emerged in China in Iran. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)

Coronavirus: Italy takes ‘drastic’ action as six die, infections surge

A policewoman wearing a protective mask stands next to carnival revellers at Venice Carnival, which the last two days of, as well as Sunday night's festivities, were cancelled. Photo: Reuters

epa08241289 Guests wear face masks to protect against coronavirus upon arrival to attend the Dolce and Gabbana show during the Milan Fashion Week, Milan, Italy, 23 February 2020. The disease caused by the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has been officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO). The outbreak, which originated in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has so far killed more than 2,000 people, with over 75,000 infected worldwide, mostly in China. The Fall-Winter 2020/2021 Women's collections are presented at the Milano Moda Donna from 18 to 24 February 2020. EPA-EFE/MATTEO BAZZI

Tourists wearing sanitary masks walk in downtown Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020. In Lombardy, the hardest-hit region with 90 cases Coronavirus infections, schools and universities were ordered to stay closed in the coming days, and sporting events were canceled. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

epa08242097 Empty shelves at Esselunga supermarket as people stockpile due to the fear of the new coronavirus, in Milan, Italy, 23 February 2020. Two deaths from the novel coronavirus sparked fears throughout northern Italy as about 50,000 people were poised for a weeks-long lockdown imposed by authorities trying to halt a further increase in infections. Italy on 21 February became the first country in Europe to report the death of one of its own nationals from the virus, triggering travel restrictions on about a dozen towns where the number of people contaminated has continued to rise. EPA-EFE/ANDREA CANALI

A man wearing a protective face mask in Casalpusterlengo, one of the northern Italian towns placed under lockdown because of the virus outbreak. Photo: EPA

Coronavirus: don’t let down your guard just yet, cooped-up Chinese residents warned

Resident of Guangyuan flock to Lizhou Square on Friday as tea vendors reopened for business. Photo: Weibo

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China

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Xi promises fiscal help to overcome the challenges as country tries to get back to work
But China will continue to pursue its social and economic goals



Xi promises fiscal help to overcome the challenges as country tries to get back to work.


Coronavirus pandemic: All stories

Coronavirus is China’s fastest-spreading public health crisis, President Xi Jinping says

Xi promises fiscal help to overcome the challenges as country tries to get back to work But China will continue to pursue its social and economic goals

Xi promises fiscal help to overcome the challenges as country tries to get back to work

But China will continue to pursue its social and economic goals