Newsletter from #ChineseConsulateLA 2020-27

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May 1 | Issue 2020-27

China's Battle Against COVID-19 (27)

Facts & Updates

According to statistics from Chinese Customs, as of April 26, China had provided the US with 3.721 billion masks, 305 million pairs of gloves, 35.26 million protective suits, 4.99 million goggles, 156 invasive and 5,716 non-invasive ventilators.

As of April 28, Chinese provinces & cities, organizations & enterprises had donated about 8.8 million masks, 266.9 thousand pairs of gloves, 130.1 thousand goggles, 41.8 thousand protective suits, 1,000 non-invasive ventilators and 500 thousand testing kits.

Chinese mainland reported 1 new confirmed COVID-19 cases (imported) and no death on May 1 (Beijing Time), bringing the numbers to 82,875 & 4,633 respectively. As 557 patients remained under treatment, 77,685 patients had been cured and discharged from hospital. ( Detailed Report )

On April 29, Hubei province reported no new cases of confirmed infections, no new cases of suspected infections, and no deaths.

Wuhan has been classified as a low-risk area as the city met the criteria of no newly confirmed cases for the last 14 days as of last Friday.

Guangzhou and Los Angeles will further expand exchanges and cooperation in fighting COVID-19 in the weeks to come, the two side agreed in a video conference co-hosted by Chen Zhiying , executive deputy mayor of Guangzhou and LA deputy mayor Nina Hachigian.

2020 First Quarter Statistics

Although the COVID-19 outbreak had a great impact on China's economic operation, resulting in a year-on-year decrease of 6.8% of China's GDP in the first quarter, the d ecline of major economic indicators significantly narrowed down in March.

The nationwide battle against COVID-19 epidemic has gained major strategic achievements. Production and overall livelihood are gradually restored. Main indicators showed recovery momentum in March.
The resumption of work and production has been accelerated. 99.3% of large enterprises and more than 80% of small & medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have resumed work.
The overall employment situation was stable. In March, the surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas was 5.9%. Employees of enterprises worked an average of 44.8 hours per week.
Overall agricultural production was steady. The value added of agriculture (crop farming) grew by 3.5% year-on-year. Spring plowing and sowing went on smoothly.
People’s basic livelihood was well guaranteed.The supply of pandemic prevention commodities and daily necessities has been guaranteed. In March, the consumer price went up by 4.3% year-on-year, 0.9 percentage points lower than February.
Online retail sales of physical goods grew fast. The value of online physical commodity retail sales increased by 5.9% in March, accounting for 23.6% of the total retail sales of consumer goods.

(Full report in Chinese & English )

#China in Motion#

A new generation domestic medium-low-speed magnetic levitation ( maglev ) train reached a top speed of 160 km per hour and passed a medium-speed test on April 28 in Changsha, a major step before it begins formal operations.

Consumers are reigniting demand for electronic devices like smartphones, tablets and smartwatches. Local electronics makers are experimenting wi th new sales campaigns such as partnering with food delivery companies and livestreaming platform operators in hopes of hitching a ride on the consumption revival bandwagon.

Domestic tourism is expected to see an upswing in the upcoming May Day holiday . In the coming five-day break starting from May 1, the domestic tourism market is expected to witness the year's first travel boom, according to a report by Trip.com Group, an online travel agency headquartered in Shanghai.

China's Ministry of Transport announced to restore all tolls across the country from May 6. Priority and convenience will be given to emergency transport vehicles for epidemic prevention and control.

Wuhan lab director rejects COVID-19 conspiracy theory: Reuters

Claims that the novel coronavirus came from China's National Biosafety Laboratory at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) were groundless and contradict all available evidence , said lab director Yuan Zhiming in a recent written interview with Reuters .

WIV does not have the intention and the ability to design and construct a new coronavirus. There is no information within the SARS-CoV-2 genome indicating it was manmade.
Tracing the virus’s origin is a very challenging scientific question with strong uncertainty. More than 70% of emerging infectious diseases originated from animals, esp. wild animals.
High-level biosafety labs have sophisticated protective facilities and strict measures to ensure the safety of laboratory staff and protect the environment from contamination.
I hope everyone will put aside their prejudices and biases in order to provide a rational environment for research on tracing the origin of the virus.

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