New macro policies to assist in recovery

China will modestly raise its budget deficit ratio, issue special sovereign bonds and bolster the scale of local government bonds as part of a slew of macroeconomic policies to cope with impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a decision made at a key meeting of the Communist Party of China on Friday.

The meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, underlined the importance of further macro policy adjustment and better implementation to counter impact from the outbreak.

Proactive fiscal policy must be more effective and prudent monetary policy must be more flexible and accommodating to cut interest rates for loans and maintain reasonably sufficient liquidity, said a statement released after the meeting.

The meeting also called for adequate implementation of various tax and fee cut policies and an acceleration of the issuance and use of special bonds issued by local authorities.

It is important to give play to the guiding role of financial policies, such as re-lending, rediscounting and deferrals of principal repayments and interest repayments of loans, while ensuring a smooth transmission mechanism and alleviating difficulties and high costs faced by businesses in their financing processes, the statement said.

The meeting called for quicker steps to unleash demand from domestic markets, including measures to enable various markets like shopping malls to get back to normal.

It is important to expand consumer consumption, modestly increase public spending and restore consumption at physical stores while maintaining the vitality of online shopping, the statement said.

It added that the accelerated spread of the pandemic overseas has hit the global economy and trade hard, and the country is faced with mounting pressure from the importation of infected cases and fresh challenges in the resumption of industry chains.

The priority for the country is to prevent both the importation of COVID-19 cases and a possible domestic rebound of the outbreak, and to maintain the sustained positive momentum in epidemic containment, the statement said.

It required unremitting measures in epidemic control and prevention in key areas and more targeted treatment for patients in severe condition to improve the recovery rate and lower the mortality rate.

Authorities in Hubei province must step up alignment with relevant provincial authorities to help its residents leave the province for jobs — and stranded travelers in the province return home. Epidemic containment in key areas, such as Beijing, must be further reinforced, the statement said.

The meeting called for stronger care and support for Chinese citizens overseas, saying that diplomatic missions abroad must enhance consular protection, guidance and support in terms of providing protective materials to ensure their health and safety.

It is imperative that authorities closely monitor and analyze the trend of the pandemic, identify and control sources of risk in a precise and speedy manner, step up quarantines at ports and refine border entry procedures, the statement said.

With the COVID-19 outbreak bringing fresh difficulties and challenges, more arduous efforts are needed in poverty alleviation, the statement said.

Medical professionals from China and the United States shared their knowledge about COVID-19 epidemic control and patient treatment in a videoconference on Friday morning as infection cases continued to surge globally.

The number of coronavirus infections in the US reached 85,996 on Friday, according to Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Also, the capital, Washington, reported a jump in infections.

Those taking part in the meeting included four experts from the Chinese mainland, including Zhong Nanshan, a prominent expert in respiratory diseases, two from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and three from the US.

Zhong, also a leading specialist fighting at the front line of the outbreak in China, briefed his counterparts on transmission features, diagnosis, clinical characteristics, management and China’s strategy in controlling the spread of the virus.

Zhong drew attention to the high reproduction rate of the virus, high patient mortality compared with the flu and transmission to humans by asymptomatic virus carriers.

The earlier a patient’s onset, the higher the infectiousness, he said. Zhong also advised that sewers and exhaust pipes be kept unobstructed to curb the spread of the virus.

Li Shiyue, a professor at the Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health in Guangdong province, spoke primarily about bronchoscopy, a test that allows examination of a patient’s airways. Luo Fengming, a professor at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University in Chengdu, who worked for nearly two months in Wuhan, Hubei province, former epicenter of the outbreak, shared his views on clinical diagnosis and personal protection.

Gerard Criner, a professor at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, briefed the attendees on the prevention status in the US and the related experience from his university.

Criner said keeping an ear out for advice and experience from colleagues in other virus-hit countries including China, Italy and Spain has been necessary at the university.

The disease has become a top concern for any medical center in areas affected by the novel coronavirus. The situation calls for more hospital beds, respiratory equipment and also protective gear for the medical staff.

A wide range of medical workers is necessary to handle the epidemic, such as specialists in anesthesia and pulmonary and critical care, he added.