On April 8, 2020, the city of Wuhan in central China's Hubei Province ended a 76-day lockdown, after it achieved initial success in putting the coronavirus under control.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, visits patients who are being treated, by video calls at the Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, March 10, 2020. (Xinhua/Ju Peng)

Wuhan and Hubei were where China fought a crucial battle against the COVID-19 epidemic. Following the lift of the lockdown, people around the world have witnessed how China, as a major world economy, has taken the global lead in both virus control and economic recovery.

In 2020, President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made a series of remarks on Wuhan and Hubei's fight against the virus.

The following is a selection of his remarks.

The positive trend in preventing and controlling COVID-19 could not have been achieved without the sacrifice, devotion, perseverance and strong efforts of the people of Wuhan.

The epidemic prevention and control in Hubei and Wuhan not only matters to the province and the city, but also to the whole nation.

All prevention and control measures that the CPC Central Committee has taken against the virus are intended to prevent more people from being infected and to save more lives.

China has achieved another heroic feat in humanity's fight against diseases by securing major strategic achievements in the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic.

The Chinese people and the Chinese nation, with their resolution to fight and win, have created a great spirit to fight COVID-19. This spirit involves putting people's lives first, nationwide solidarity, sacrifice, respect for science, and a sense of mission for humanity.