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Chinese President Xi Jingping, has expressed delight over the economic performance of the People’s Republic of China in the outgone year 2022. In his New Year Message delivered in Beijing via China Media Group and the Internet on December 31, 2022, Xi noted that in 2022, the people of China successfully convened the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC).
The Chinese president said an ambitious blueprint has been drawn for building a modern socialist country in all respects and advancing the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization, sounding a clarion call of the times for us forging ahead on a new journey.
The Chinese economy, Xi stated, has remained the second largest in the world and enjoyed sound development. “GDP for the whole year is expected to exceed 120 trillion yuan. Despite a global food crisis, we have secured a bumper harvest for the 19th year in a row, putting us in a stronger position to ensure the food supply of the Chinese people. We have consolidated our gains in poverty elimination and advanced rural revitalization across the board. We have introduced tax and fee cuts and other measures to ease the burden on businesses, and made active efforts to solve the most pressing difficulties of high concern to the people,” Xi said.
Xi also said since COVID-19 struck, the Chinese Government put the people first and put life first all along, while also saying that following a science-based and targeted approach, China adapted its COVID response in light of the evolving situation to protect the life and health of the people to the greatest extent possible.
According to Xi, “Officials and the general public, particularly medical professionals and community workers, have bravely stuck to their posts through it all. With extraordinary efforts, we have prevailed over unprecedented difficulties and challenges, and it has not been an easy journey for anyone. We have now entered a new phase of COVID response where tough challenges remain. Everyone is holding on with great fortitude, and the light of hope is right in front of us. Let’s make an extra effort to pull through, as perseverance and solidarity mean victory.”
China Optimizes COVID-19 response in light of evolving situation
The People’s Republic of China, has renamed the Chinese term for COVID-19 from “novel coronavirus pneumonia” to “novel coronavirus infection,” and will downgrade management of the disease from Class A to Class B begining from January 8, 2023, according to a statement released by the country’s National Health Commission (NHC) on December 26, 2022.
The development marked another major shift of China’s epidemic response policies since the country began managing COVID-19 with strict measures against Class A infectious diseases on January 20, 2020. China divides notifiable infectious diseases into three classes, namely: Class A, Class B and Class C, according to the situation of their outbreak and prevalence and the extent of the harm done at the time of their occurrence. Dynamic adjustment and scientific management are carried out according to the classification.
Liang Wannian, Head of the COVID-19 Response Expert Panel under the NHC, noted that the decision to downgrade the management of the disease was made in accordance with the transmissibility and pathogenicity of the Omicron variant, the capability of the variant to cause critical symptoms and deaths, and the COVID-19 development around the world.
“It will help utilize epidemic prevention resources at a higher efficiency, better coordinate the epidemic prevention and control and the economic and social development, better ensure people’s daily life and social production, and minimize the impacts of the disease on economic and social development,” Liang said.
Both domestic and international data indicated much-weakened pathogenicity and virulence of the Omicron variant from those of the original COVID-19 strain and other variants of concern. So far, China has administered over 3.4 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines to over 92 percent of its population, and fully vaccinated over 90 percent of its total population. Besides, China’s improved medical treatment capacity, its ability to produce and supply effective anti-COVID-19 drugs, as well as people’s increased awareness of health, also contributed to the downgrading of COVID-19 management this time.
Liang noted that by shifting the focus from epidemic prevention and control to medical treatment, China aims to better protect people’s health, prevent critical cases and ensure a smooth transition of response measures. Special attention needs to be paid to vaccination, personal protection and timely treatment after infection for people at high risk of critical conditions, such as the elderly and people with underlying diseases, to minimize critical cases and death.
At present, infections are rising rapidly in China. Responding to the rising demand for fever clinics, the supply-demand gap and other issues, Head of the Bureau of Medical Administration under the NHC, Jiao Yahui, said the demand for general outpatient services and hospitalization was on a steady rise, and the utilization of medical resources has remained controllable.
China has taken a series of measures to meet the demand of patients, such as further expanding medical resources and the supply of medical services, vigorously promoting online medical services and enhancing the supply of medicines through multiple channels.
Besides, the country has urged primary-level medical institutions to monitor the health of seniors and other vulnerable groups. It also beefed up the vaccination drive against COVID-19, especially among senior citizens.
Embassies and tourism bureaus around the world, including those in Austria, Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and Thailand, have posted messages on China’s social media platform Weibo, welcoming Chinese tourists again after Beijing’s optimization of the nation’s COVID-19 control measures, including its immigration management policies.
Facts are that since COVID began three years ago, the Chinese government has always put the people and their lives above all else. China has poured all its efforts and resources into protecting the life and health of every Chinese, which enabled the Chinese people to withstand each wave and get the nation through the difficult time when the virus was wreaking the deadliest havoc. Globally speaking, China has had the lowest rates of severe cases and mortality. Despite the pandemic, average life expectancy in China went up from 77.3 to 78.2 years. Even when the global Human Development Index dropped for two years straight, China went up six places on the Index.
China’s First Homegrown Mainline Aircraft Delivered to China Eastern Airlines
After 14 years of production, China’s first homegrown mainline commercial jet was finally delivered to launch customer China Eastern Airlines. The C919 is a narrow body passenger plane made by state-owned aerospace manufacture Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China (Comac).
China Eastern’s other four C919s will be delivered over the next two years, though the airline initially planned to receive them all in 2023. Regardless if the C919 ever operates outside China, the country hopes the jet will help it become more technologically self-reliant and advance China’s aircraft manufacturing industry.
China Posts Outstanding Economic Performance While Battling COVID-19
China has made outstanding achievements in both economic development and epidemic control over the past three years, with positive results delivered on both fronts, demonstrating huge potential for continued prosperity. Having withstood waves of the pandemic while effectively safeguarding the life and health of its 1.4 billion populations, the country has maintained the lowest COVID-19 infection and fatality rates among all major countries over the past three years. It has so far issued nine editions of COVID-19 control protocols, together with the 20 measures announced in November and the latest 10 released earlier this month, and quickly adapted to the constantly evolving epidemic situation with a flexible string of control measures.
Despite disruptions caused by the arduous battle against COVID-19 over the past three years, the Chinese economy has managed to consolidate its resilience, foster greater potential, and maintain sound fundamentals. For a start, China’s demographic dividend is now translating into a talent dividend. The country’s working-age population stands at 880 million, with an average age of 38.8, and the number of people that have received higher education exceeds 218 million, indicating an abundant labor force. The country’s capital stock per capita is still relatively low compared with major developed economies, meaning China has more room for investment to further improve its modern infrastructure system, push for new modernization and rural revitalization, and boost green development.
China-Arab Ties Open a New Chapter; Influence Profound
Chinese President Xi Jinping concluded his tour of Saudi Arabia on December 10, 2022, his first visit to the Middle East region after the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which was also an unprecedented diplomatic event with the Arab world.
The trip has not only yielded fruitful results in economic and trade sense, but also demonstrated that in addition to continuing to play the role of a contributor to regional development, China will also increasingly contribute to peace in the strategically important Middle East.
From December 7 to 10, Xi attended the first China-Arab States Summit and the China-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit. According to the former Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, during his stay in Saudi Arabia, Xi also held bilateral meetings with nearly 20 Arab leaders, deeming Xi’s Mideast trip as China’s largest and highest-level diplomatic action with the Arab world since the founding of the People’s Republic of China.
Following the first China-Arab States Summit, the leaders of China and the member states of the Arab League issued the Riyadh Declaration, agreeing to strengthen cooperation and enhance the China-Arab strategic partnership. China and Arab states are committed to deepening China-Arab cooperation in various fields through the mechanisms under the framework of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum. The declaration stressed that the Arab states firmly adhere to the one-China principle, support China in safeguarding its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and reaffirm that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China’s territory.
