Kyodo News:
We know that China's dynamic zero-COVID policy has been successful. However, the recent COVID-19 containment measures may restrict China's manufacturing sector and consumption and make it difficult to communicate with the overseas market, which triggers worries from foreign-invested enterprises. Will the dynamic zero-COVID policy see any changes in the first half of this year? Thanks.
Wang Hesheng:
Thank you, I will answer your question. Since the outbreaks, under the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, China has always put people's lives and health first. We have strengthened our COVID-19 response on all fronts, which delivered outstanding performance and protected the safety and health of the public to the utmost.
The dynamic zero-COVID approach was put forward under the principle of preventing the coronavirus from entering the country and stemming its domestic resurgence, and is based on summarizing our experiences and learning from lessons. The approach requires us to detect cases at an early stage, contain small outbreaks, and focus on work at a primary level so as to improve our COVID-19 response and our capacity to detect COVID-19 cases early. We act swiftly to detect the people infected and outbreaks at an early stage. When discovered, we take immediate actions to cut off virus transmission so as to reduce infections and achieve dynamic zero infection. The goal of the dynamic zero-COVID approach is to bring the epidemic under control in the shortest possible time with a minimum cost to society. The essence of the approach is to act swiftly and take targeted measures to prevent and control the coronavirus. When we say "act swiftly," we mean to detect and handle the virus rapidly and cut off its transmission quickly. When we say "targeted measures," we mean that the measures are put in place throughout all links, including epidemiological tracing, quarantine, community-level disease prevention and control, and clinical treatment.
We should be aware that China has well balanced COVID-19 prevention and control and its economic and social development. The country has become the world's only major economy to register positive growth. This progress did not come easily. It has been proven that China's practice in responding to COVID-19 has safeguarded people's lives and health and ensured economic growth.
In fact, COVID-19 has affected the economic and social development of all countries across the world to different degrees. But the results of different COVID-19 response strategies and measures may vary in easing and controlling those negative impacts. When assessing the impact on the economy or the cost of prevention and control measures, we should figure out what kind of impacts are caused by COVID-19 itself, what is brought by economic development, and what impacts the COVID-19 response strategy and containment measures will have. I don't think we can solely owe the economic impacts to the COVID-19 response strategy and epidemic prevention and control measures.
Second, when assessing the cost and effect of COVID-19 response measures, we should take a scientific approach. They can be assessed in four dimensions.
The first is the cost and result of prevention and control; that is, how much cost is spent, how many infections, severe cases and deaths are reduced. I think the prevention and control concept of our Party and government is that people come first, life comes first, and that we must protect the lives and health of the people to the greatest extent possible. Therefore, we can see that the total number of infected individuals, the number of cases, the number of severe cases, and the number of deaths in China are very small, which shows that the cost-effectiveness ratio of prevention and control in China is high.
The second is cost-efficiency; that is, the speed with which the pandemic can be contained and extinguished. China's prevention and control work is basically within the one or two longest incubation periods to quickly deal with and quickly extinguish the pandemic, which shows that the cost-efficiency ratio is high.
The third is cost-utility; that is, through the dynamic zero-COVID approach and precise prevention and control. China has ensured the normal production and life of the vast majority of regions and people, reducing inconveniences caused by the pandemic and even reducing psychological and other health problems. This shows that, by limiting the normal activities of a very small portion of people and controlling the population movements within a very small part of the country, we ensured the normal production and life of the broadest areas and people.
The fourth is cost-benefit; that is, the economic benefits achieved at the cost of prevention and control. In this regard, the key is to look at the big picture and do not only focus on the current situation. It is neither comprehensive nor objective to calculate cost-benefit only based on the costs incurred at the location and time of an outbreak. We should take the entire country as a whole and consider the general benefits to the entire economy, the entire society and the overall well-being of the people.
Facts have proven that the practice of the dynamic zero-COVID approach is in line with China's national conditions and scientific laws. The approach is correct and the result is good. Although the prevention and control measures of the dynamic zero-COVID approach will have some impacts on production and life in some areas, these impacts are short-term and limited in scope. We should say, any prevention and control measures will have certain costs, but for protecting people's lives and health, these costs are worth it. Here I would like to express my special thanks to our broad masses of the people for their understanding, support, and cooperation with the pandemic prevention work.
China's anti-pandemic practice shows that adhering to the dynamic zero-COVID approach is the current pandemic defense line that we as a great country with a population of more than 1.4 billion must guard. This is our best way to embody the idea of "people first" and "life first". This is also the biggest contribution to the international fight against the pandemic. Thank you.
