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| The damaged houses after the earthquake in Ya'an's Baoxing county, in Sichuan province. [Cui Meng/ China Daily] |
Policymakers to focus on present growth plans; effects of quake 'are temporary'
Experts on Monday ruled out the need for any extra economic stimulus, in the wake of Saturday's earthquake that struck Ya'an, Sichuan province, insisting the effects of the disaster will be "regional and temporary", in monetary terms.
Although official figures are still unavailable, Beijing-based Anbound Consulting has estimated direct economic losses in Ya'an to be around 42 billion yuan ($6.8 billion), or 5 percent of that reported in the 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan province.
In November 2008, the central government launched a 4-trillion-yuan stimulus program, just six months after a magnitude-8.0 earthquake claimed nearly 70,000 lives in the province, and caused more than 850 billion yuan in direct economic losses, almost 3 percent of GDP in that year.
Zhang Ping, the former head of the National Development and Reform Commission, the country's top economic planning agency, said in March 2009 that 1 trillion yuan of that package was invested to the post-earthquake reconstruction program.
>>>Quake-hit China grows in pain
The principle of sparing no efforts to save lives cannot be more stressed. No minute or even second should be delayed during the "golden rescue period" in the first 72 hours after the quake.
>>>Pilot cancels wedding to participate in quake relief
When the 7.0-magnitude quake happened, Zhang Shangnian, a pilot from an aviation brigade of Chengdu Military Region, was about to hold his wedding.
>>>Nurse returns to work after losing mother
Just likes other medical staff, she was busy with rescuing people injured in the earthquake in SW China, but no one knew her mother just died in the quake.
>>>Wedding ceremony without bridegroom held on schedule
Zhuo Jia, the bridegroom, is a solider of the Chengdu Military Region; he had to leave his beautiful bride behind to participate in earthquake relief.
>>>An injured girl's smile moves many
"Your smile makes the entire world beautiful,” a photo of a smiling girl with bandage on her head has moved so many Chinese netizens.
>>>Teenager saves mom with his bare hands
The mother moves away a precast slab weighing over 50 kilograms alone to save her son in the earthquake. She said she did not know where her strength came from.
>>>Chinese Premier: Rescue every person
Premier Li Keqiang gives light of hope and confidence to quake victims as he leads rescue work, comforts survivors and asks for every home to be checked.
Teenager saves mom with his bare hands
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