Capitalized "V" under the epidemic: China's economy has made the world red| the 2021 New Year special issue

Text/Yangshi Province

Looking back at the year of 2020, the new crown epidemic, The Australian wildfires, the locust plague in East Africa, one sudden disaster after another, are very heartfelt.

The haze of the raging epidemic has not yet left.

"With the arrival of the cold winter, the influenza virus is more active, and there are also confirmed cases of influenza and new crown co-infection, and the epidemic prevention work must not be relaxed, and it is necessary to make preparations in advance." Not long ago, Academician Zhong Nanshan said in a speech that the epidemic should continue in the winter of 2020 or the spring of 2021, and it is likely that local outbreaks will occur.

"The sudden outbreak of new crown pneumonia is an unpredictable black swan, the impact continues, many of the risks facing economic development are gray rhinos, and the threat has not been eliminated." Recently, Zhu Zhixin, former director of the Central Finance Office, said.

The global chain reaction caused by the epidemic is also continuing. Compared with the domestic situation, the situation abroad is worse, Japan is closed, London is locked down, Europe has fallen, and the United States is still the country with the highest number of confirmed cases and deaths in the world.

The global economy has come to an unprecedented standstill, with the pandemic affecting 7.6 billion people worldwide. The epidemic ended the 128-month economic growth cycle in the United States, with the eurozone recession of 7.3%; Japan's new tourism stimulus policy was suspended; and emerging economies such as Russia, South Africa, and Brazil were dragged down by the epidemic and stagnated.

According to the Asian Development Bank, the global economic losses caused by the epidemic range from 5.8 trillion to 8.8 trillion US dollars. The International Monetary Fund forecasts a 4.4 percent global economic decline in 2020, the worst recession since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Guan Qingyou, president of the Institute of Financial Research, said that the epidemic will completely change the global manufacturing, trade and economic system.

According to various major macro indicators released by the National Bureau of Statistics in the first 11 months of 2020, China's society and economy continued to recover steadily, and even a "V" rebound appeared, and quickly began to recover. Some institutions predict that China's economic growth rate in the fourth quarter can exceed 5.9%. If the prediction comes true, Then China's annual economic growth rate in 2020 is expected to exceed 2%, which is a rare achievement at a time when the new crown epidemic is still raging around the world.

The epidemic has spread around the world

At the end of 2020, the epidemic situation is still severe, especially the mutant virus began to attack the city, and many countries had to speed up the initiation of vaccination. "China has 5 new coronavirus vaccines undergoing phase III clinical trials, and the number is among the highest in the world." Zheng Zhongwei, head of the vaccine research and development special class of the scientific research group of the joint prevention and control mechanism of the State Council and director of the Medical and Health Science and Technology Development Research Center of the National Health Commission, recently revealed. At the moment of the pandemic, China has taken the most thorough prevention and control measures to firmly protect the health and safety of 1.4 billion people, whether it is a 108-year-old person or a baby born only 30 hours ago, it will never give up every life.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, China is the first country to better control the epidemic, but it still cannot relax. As of 18:30 on December 29, 2020, a total of 23 regions across the country have been adjusted to medium-risk areas.

According to the data released by the Health Commission on December 30, at 0-24:00 on December 29, 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government) and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps reported 24 new confirmed cases, of which 17 cases were imported from abroad (7 cases in Shanghai, 3 cases in Tianjin, 2 cases in Inner Mongolia, 2 cases in Fujian, 1 case in Zhejiang, 1 case in Shandong, 1 case in Guangdong), 7 cases in local cases (5 cases in Liaoning, 1 case in Beijing, 1 case in Heilongjiang); no new deaths; no new suspected cases.

On the same day, 16 new cured and discharged cases were cured, 399 close contacts were released from medical observation, and the number of severe cases increased by 1 case compared with the previous day.

There are 269 confirmed cases imported from overseas (including 3 severe cases), and there are no existing suspected cases. The cumulative number of confirmed cases is 4247, the cumulative number of cured and discharged cases is 3978, and there are no deaths.

It can be seen that the virus has no borders, the epidemic does not distinguish between races, and the epidemic in Germany, Japan and South Korea after half a year is difficult to stay out.

Germany announced on December 13 that it would tighten its epidemic prevention and control measures from the 16th of that month to January 10, 2021. As of 00:00 on December 13, the number of confirmed cases in Germany exceeded 1.32 million, with a daily increase of 20,200 cases; the cumulative number of deaths was 21,787, with a daily increase of 321 cases.

It's not just Germany that's struggling with epidemic prevention. Japan said that as of December 12, there were more than 3,000 new cases in a single day, setting a record for new cases in a single day. Since the spring of 2020, Japan has faced a third wave of the epidemic, especially in Tokyo.

There is also South Korea, which reported a record high of 1,000 new confirmed cases on December 13.

Humorously, after the outbreak of the epidemic, Germany, Japan and South Korea were once praised. On 30 June 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) affirmed the efforts of the three countries to fight the epidemic.

Today, the global epidemic has broken out again, and many people are living in dire straits.

According to Worldometer real-time data, as of 19:30 Beijing time on December 28, the number of confirmed cases of new crown pneumonia in the world reached 81214446, and the number of deaths 1773609. At least 24 countries, including the United States, Brazil, India, Russia and other countries, have more than 1,000 new confirmed cases in a single day, of which 171664 new cases in the United States, 20,021 new cases in India, and 18,479 new cases in Brazil.

During Thanksgiving, however, millions of Americans embarked on a journey to reunite with their families, causing infections to soar. According to statistics, as of the 27th, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the United States is 19.13 million, and the cumulative number of deaths is 333,000.

On December 5, the United States added 230,000 new patients in a single day and millions in five days, with an average of 1 death every 30 seconds. At the same time, the number of hospitalizations exceeded 100,000 for the first time, the 911 emergency system in the United States has approached its limit, and many hospitals are on the verge of paralysis. Even so, millions of Americans travel at Christmas. "Thanksgiving, combined with Christmas, has led to the darkest hour of the pandemic that could occur in the United States." Dr. Fauci warned on NBC's show.

The epidemic has rebounded sharply, and there are many European countries.

Germany has a shortage of 3,500 to 4,000 intensive care workers, many health care workers who have been infected and have to stop working; France's original plan to lift the lockdown on December 15 has been delayed.

In Asia, South Korea has seen a surge in confirmed cases since the third wave of the outbreak in late November. As of 28 December, the cumulative number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in India reached 10.2 million, and the number of deaths was 144,000.

Incredibly, the highly contagious mutated virus is spreading across the globe.

Following the detection of the mutated virus in the United Kingdom, cases of related infections have been detected in Sweden, Italy, Japan, South Korea and other countries. From December 28, Japan was conclusive. A day earlier, five arrivals from the UK to Japan were confirmed to be infected with the MUTV in the UK. According to Yonhap News Agency reported on the 28th, South Korea found a mutated new coronavirus from 3 inbound personnel confirmed to be infected with the new crown virus. On the 27th, the South Korean Central Disaster Security Countermeasure Headquarters announced that it will not raise the epidemic prevention level to the highest level for the time being, and maintain the 2.5 epidemic prevention response level in the tokyo metropolitan area and the 2 level of epidemic prevention in other regions.

In addition, Singapore, Lebanon, Ireland and other countries have the first cases of infection with the mutated virus.

As of December 28, the mutated virus has spread to 20 countries and regions, and the virus invasion has made it difficult for countries around the world to stand alone, and many countries and regions have successively raised awareness of epidemic prevention and control to prevent and control the global spread of the mutated new crown virus.

The epidemic has impacted all walks of life

The virus knows no borders, the epidemic knows no race, and the epidemic has dealt a serious blow to all walks of life.

Alice, america's highest-paid sex worker, has been outraged by the government for nine months out of work. When the epidemic slowed down, the state reopened spas, salons, massage parlors and other businesses, but there were fewer legal brothels. Alice believes that legal workers suffer financially. Behind the relentless numbers are countless desperate people and broken families.

According to Worldometer real-time statistics, as of about 6:30 Beijing time on December 28, the cumulative number of confirmed covid-19 cases in the United States 19542947, and the cumulative number of deaths 340952. Compared with the data at 6:30 a.m. the previous day, there were 171664 new confirmed cases and 1,320 new deaths in the United States. To this day, the United States still has the highest number of confirmed and fatal cases in the world.

In just one day, two of Britain's retail giants collapsed, risking 25,000 employees. First the well-known British retailer Arcadia, and then the British retail giant Debenham, the century-old store can not withstand the once-in-a-century epidemic.

Japan recently released a shocking figure: in October 2020, the number of Japanese people who died by suicide reached 2153, more than the total number of people who died due to the new crown. In October, the number of unemployed in Japan reached 2.15 million, an increase for the first consecutive month, and the unemployment rate rose to 3.1%, the highest value in nearly three years.

Affected by the epidemic, the aviation industry in various countries has suffered a devastating blow, and business suspensions and losses are everywhere. American Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, Emirates and Qantas, among others, have announced layoffs and unpaid leave schemes for thousands of people, with nearly 46 million people at risk of losing their jobs worldwide.

In addition to the bankruptcy of 23 airlines, the airline industry has lost more than $400 billion. The IATA report said airline passenger traffic in 2020 is expected to fall by 54.7% year-on-year, and all airlines will lose money. Among them, airlines in the Asia-Pacific region have been the most affected by the epidemic, with an estimated loss of US$29 billion.

And the aviation industry is just one of countless industries that have been hit hard by the new crown. In addition, 300 Pizza Hut stores were permanently closed; Swarovski laid off 6,000 employees and closed 3,000 stores; Disney laid off 32,000 employees, with a loss of more than $7.4 billion; Starbucks permanently closed 400 stores, chanel and Hermès stopped production...

These tragic dramas are playing out all over the world, with the pressure of unemployment, the runaway epidemic, hunger and hardship increasing day by day.

China's economy has a V-shaped reversal

2020 is the final year of the 13th Five-Year Plan, and it is also a very extraordinary year in the history of New China.

One hand to control the epidemic, the other hand to grasp the economy. At the end of the year, China's economy came out of the "V" reversal, and the economic prosperity rebounded significantly, becoming the only economy in the world to achieve positive growth.

The National Bureau of Statistics released the third quarterly report of China's economy, and the economic growth rate in the first three quarters of 2020 has turned from negative to positive. The first quarter fell by 6.8% year-on-year, the second quarter increased by 3.2%, and the third quarter increased by 4.9%. In the first three quarters, China's GDP 722786 billion yuan, an increase of 0.7% year-on-year.

In the context of the epidemic hitting the global economy hard, how to minimize the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic and effectively and orderly promote the resumption of work and production, China has given a plan.

In the face of the severe and complex international situation, the arduous and heavy domestic reform, development and stability tasks, and the severe impact of the new crown epidemic, China's economy has bucked the trend and become the only major economy in the world to achieve positive economic growth.

The 2020 Central Economic Work Conference used "taking the lead in controlling the epidemic", "taking the lead in resuming work and production", and "taking the lead in achieving economic growth from negative to positive" to outline the distinctive characteristics of China's economic trend in 2020. The proactive fiscal policy and the prudent monetary policy have not changed for more than ten years, but unlike previous years, the meeting also emphasized the continuity, stability and sustainability of the policy, requiring the policy to be more accurate and effective, and not to make sharp turns.

In the wave of global economic regression, China's economy has handed over an answer sheet that the people are satisfied with and the world has attracted attention, which has aroused great concern from foreign media.

In its latest World Economic Outlook report, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts that the global economy will shrink by 4.4% in 2020, but China's economy will grow by 1.9%, making it the only major economy in the world to achieve positive growth. The IMF also predicts that China's economy is expected to grow by 8.2 percent in 2021.

Bloomberg said China has become the world economy's only major growth engine. CNN said that China's economy has made the world red. Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung said that China's economy has returned.

China's speed has refreshed the perception of the outside world.

At the beginning of the outbreak, Wuhan was locked down, the whole country was grounded, agricultural and sideline products were unsalable, and the economy was shut down. China quickly helped itself, the whole people were united, controlled the epidemic in just a few months, and resumed work and school.

In mid-April, the average operating rate of industrial enterprises above designated size in the country reached 99%, the resumption rate of private enterprises exceeded 90%, and the resumption rate of small and medium-sized enterprises exceeded 80%.

Suddenly, as a night, the county magistrates of poor counties around the world took the lead in walking into the live broadcast room to bring goods for agricultural products, and major e-commerce platforms launched the "Love to Help Farmers" activity. 600,000 catties of oranges, 500,000 catties of rice, 5,000 catties of lotus, 5,000 catties of crayfish, sold out overnight. In order to defeat the epidemic, the whole country has bought instead of donated money to help farmers get rid of difficulties.

On November 23, all 66 poverty-stricken counties in Guizhou Province were lifted out of poverty. So far, all 832 state-level poverty-stricken counties in China have removed their hats.

What is more symbolic is that the third "CIIE" was held as scheduled in November, opening a new window for countries with economic downturns. On November 15, China signed the RCEP, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which lasted eight years, and a "super free trade area" covering a population of more than 2.2 billion, GDP scale and total trade accounted for nearly 30% of the world was born, and China also occupied a place.

After the epidemic was brought under control, China spared no effort to lend a helping hand. Including providing anti-epidemic assistance to more than 150 countries and 9 international organizations; also including sending 36 medical expert teams to 34 countries with urgent needs; and so far more than 200 billion masks, 2 billion protective clothing, 800 million test kits have been provided to countries...

Today, China is actively promoting cooperation in drug and vaccine research and development and international joint prevention and control, strengthening global public health governance, and promoting the construction of a community of human health.

China's vaccine has been supported by 40 countries such as Brazil, Turkey and the Philippines, which will fill the gap in global vaccine supply.

In the face of the once-in-a-century impact of the new crown epidemic and the reversal of protectionism and other anti-globalization waves, China has unswervingly expanded its opening up to the outside world, the growth rate of foreign trade has gradually turned positive, and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement has been successfully signed. China's reform has been deepened and its opening up has been further expanded. In this regard, the general secretary has said many times that China's door to the outside world will only open wider and wider.