EPIDEMIC'S IMPACT ON CHINA'S ECONOMIC, SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT TEMPORARY, MANAGEABLE: XI

The impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on China's economic and social development is temporary and generally manageable, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Sunday.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks when delivering an important speech at a meeting in Beijing to advance the work on coordinating the prevention and control of the COVID19 and economic and social development.

Xi said the COVID-19 epidemic will inevitably deal a relatively big blow to China's economic and social development. However, at such a time it is even more important to view China's development in a comprehensive, dialectical and long-term perspective, and to strengthen and firm up confidence.

In general, the fundamentals of China's long-term sound economic growth remain unchanged, Xi added.

Meanwhile, China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Tuesday urged greater efforts to ensure the production and supply of medical equipment such as respirators and ECG monitors to better fight the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic. The advanced medical equipment can greatly improve treatment efficiency and reduce the risks of infection. Manufacturers should beef up efforts to restore production to protect the supply chain, the ministry said.

Some manufacturers had returned to business during the Spring Festival holiday to meet surging demand amid the epidemic. Mindray, one of the country's leading providers of medical equipment, had produced and delivered more than 35,000 devices to hospitals across the country as of Feb. 17.

Apart from ensuring the sufficient supply of masks and protective gear, priority should be given to the production and supply of medical devices and medicines, the ministry stressed.

The fundamentals of China's long-term sound economic growth remain unchanged, Xi