China's resolve displayed in "two sessions" meets world's expectations

BEIJING, May 29 (Xinhua) -- The successful convening of the annual "two sessions" has demonstrated China's resolve to secure decisive success in the fight against poverty, build a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and coordinate epidemic control as well as economic and social development.

The completed agendas in the "two sessions" -- the third session of the 13th National People's Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) -- have also injected new confidence into the world's anti-epidemic efforts and economic recovery.

The meetings, "even if 10 weeks later than usual, are the strongest signal that is coming from Beijing: the worst is over," wrote a commentary of German magazine Der Spiegel last week. "Everyday life returns."

The closing meeting of the third session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 28, 2020. (Xinhua/Wang Ye)

STRATEGIC RESULTS

The COVID-19 outbreak is considered a major public health emergency that is the fastest spreading, most widely affecting and most difficult to contain since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.

It is also believed to be the most serious global public health emergency since the end of World War II.

Through arduous efforts, China has achieved decisive results in the fight against COVID-19, and major strategic strides have been made in curbing the spread of the virus.

China's epidemic prevention and control measures and experience, and how China will contribute to the global public health governance, have come into focus during the "two sessions."

Volker Tschapke, honorary president of Germany's Prussian Society, told Xinhua recently that China has made a very good response to the coronavirus epidemic, and the "two sessions" will outline the political and economic policies for a period to come.

Gabonese Democratic Party Secretary General Eric Dodo Bounguendza said that as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world, China's successful convening of the "two sessions" demonstrates that China has achieved significant strategic results in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.

"Since the coronavirus disease broke out, I felt like we human-being have been in a battle with the virus, where China acted as the vanguard," said Zhang Shuibo, a member of the CPPCC National Committee and head of the School of International Project Management at Tianjin University. "Despite some losses, we have stayed strong."

The closing meeting of the third session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) is held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, May 27, 2020. (Xinhua/Li Xiang)

CENTENARY GOAL

China is in the final push to achieve the target of poverty eradication as the nation is entering the home stretch in realizing its first centenary goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects this year.

As the COVID-19 pandemic presents new challenges, the international community is wondering how China will secure that goal.

Sanjuana Martinez, general director of the Mexican news agency Notimex, said that China's experience in development and poverty elimination could be learned by Mexico, which is also a developing country. China's poverty elimination and rural development were the major topics that her agency had paid attention to during its coverage of the "two sessions."

Noting that a raft of measures aimed at boosting economic and social recovery have been passed at the "two sessions," Jan Zahradil, a veteran member of the European Parliament and chairman of the EU-China Friendship Group in the European Parliament, said the measures will inject strong confidence and impetus into China's war on poverty and other stated goals.

Tschapke believes that China's goals of alleviating poverty and building a moderately prosperous society in all respects have not been frustrated by the epidemic, which could only count as an anecdote in the process of China's robust development.

The epidemic cannot stop the Communist Party of China from leading the Chinese people in their development and progress, Bounguendza said, adding that he is confident that the success of the "two sessions" will further unite the Chinese people to attain the great goal of eradicating poverty and achieving a moderately prosperous society in all respects as scheduled.

Medical workers wait to submit COVID-19 samples for nucleic acid test at the center for disease control and prevention in Fengman District of Jilin City, northeast China's Jilin Province, May 17, 2020. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

ECONOMIC RECOVERY

The Chinese economy has demonstrated strong resilience against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As the government work report noted, China will blaze a new path of shock-resilience and positive growth cycles, which will center on stabilizing employment, energizing the market, stimulating demand, and achieving stable growth.

To that end, China will pursue a more proactive and impactful fiscal policy, setting its fiscal deficit above 3.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and issuing 1 trillion yuan in government bonds for COVID-19 control to release more funds for companies and individuals.

Experts believe that a package of hardcore measures deliberated in the "two sessions" would keep economic fundamentals stable to help build a solid foundation for economic recovery and give overseas investors new confidence as the epidemic wanes.

Jeffrey Sachs, a renowned economics professor at Columbia University and a senior United Nations advisor, told Xinhua in a recent written interview that as China is coming out of lockdown ahead of other parts of the world, it will see an economic rebound in the second quarter, which will buoy markets abroad.

Workers are busy on the production lines at the workshop of Dongfeng Passenger Vehicle Company in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 24, 2020. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

"Output will recover significantly in the second quarter and for the rest of the year," said Sachs.

While noting that the Chinese economy has started to recover and stabilize at the end of the first quarter, Pierre Picquart, a China expert at the University of Paris VIII, told Xinhua earlier in May that "the success of China's economic recovery is great news for all nations."

China's economic recovery will revive the world economy, Picquart said, adding that to restore confidence through revitalizing the Chinese and global economy is what he thinks the "priority No. 1."