Nigeria Times

By Olubusi Olakayode Nifemi

The United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) ended in Montreal, Canada, on 19 December 2022 with a landmark agreement to guide global action on nature through to 2030. Representatives from 188 governments have been gathered in Montreal for the past two weeks for the important summit.

Chaired by China and hosted by Canada, COP 15 resulted in the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) on the last day of negotiations. The GBF aims to address biodiversity loss, restore ecosystems and protect indigenous rights. The plan includes concrete measures to halt and reverse nature loss, including putting 30 per cent of the planet and 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030. It also contains proposals to increase finance to developing countries – a major sticking point during talks.

The stakes could not be higher: the planet is experiencing a dangerous decline in nature as a result of human activity. It is experiencing its largest loss of life since the dinosaurs. One million plant and animal species are now threatened with extinction, many within decades.

The GBF consists of four overarching global goals to protect nature, including: halting human-induced extinction of threatened species and reducing the rate of extinction of all species tenfold by 2050; sustainable use and management of biodiversity to ensure that nature’s contributions to people are valued, maintained and enhanced; fair sharing of the benefits from the utilization of genetic resources, and digital sequence information on genetic resources; and that adequate means of implementing the GBF be accessible to all Parties, particularly Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Executive Director, Inger Andersen, emphasized that implementation is now key: “Success will be measured by our rapid and consistent progress in implementing what we have agreed to. The entire UN system is geared to support its implementation so we can truly make peace with nature.”

The GBF also features 23 targets to achieve by 2030, including:
Effective conservation and management of at least 30 per cent of the world’s land, coastal areas and oceans. Currently, 17 percent of land and *8 per cent of marine areas are under protection
Restoration of 30 per cent of terrestrial and marine ecosystems
Reduce to near zero the loss of areas of high biodiversity importance and high ecological integrity
Halving global food waste
Phasing out or reforming subsidies that harm biodiversity by at least $500 billion per year, while scaling up positive incentives for biodiversity conservation and sustainable use
Mobilizing at least $200 billion per year from public and private sources for biodiversity-related funding
Raising international financial flows from developed to developing countries to at least US$ 30 billion per year
Requiring transnational companies and financial institutions to monitor, assess, and transparently disclose risks and impacts on biodiversity through their operations, portfolios, supply and value chains

Finance at the core
Finance played a key role at COP15, with discussions centring on how much money developed countries will send to developing countries to address biodiversity loss. It was requested that the Global Environment Facility set up a Special Trust Fund – the GBF Fund – to support the implementation of the GBF, in order to ensure an adequate, predictable and timely flow of funds.

Countries also approved a series of related agreements to implement the GBF, including on planning, monitoring, reporting and review, which are all vital to ensure progress is made – in the words of the GBF, to ensure that there is not “a further acceleration in the global rate of species extinction, which is already at least tens to hundreds of times higher than it has averaged over the past 10 million years.”

By Olubusi Olakayode Nifemi

US President Joe Biden has announced billions of dollars in support and investment for Africa at a summit with the continent’s heads of state.

“The United States is all in on Africa’s future,” President Biden told the 49 African leaders attending the Washington DC meeting.

It is the first such gathering hosted by Washington for eight years.

The summit is seen as a US attempt to re-assert its influence in Africa to counter Chinese involvement.

It also comes after Donald Trump’s four-year tenure in office, during which he alienated numerous African leaders with policy decisions and insulting comments.

Mr Biden struck a very different tone to his predecessor, speaking optimistically of improved links with Africa and telling the gathering that “when Africa succeeds, the United States succeeds. Quite frankly, the whole world succeeds as well.”

US courts Africa as rivals make advances
He said that the crises facing the world today needed African leadership, ideas and innovations, and promised to build on the “vital” investments in Africa made by previous US administrations.

To that end, ahead of the three-day summit which ends on Thursday, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the US would commit $55bn (£44bn) to Africa over the next three years.

Discussions at the summit have focussed on building on already existing programmes, including:

Prosper Africa – a US government initiative “to increase two-way trade” between African nations and the US launched in 2018
the Clinton-era Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, Agoa, which provides African apparel manufacturers preferential access to the US market;
the Power Africa initiative launched by President Obama to connect millions of African to the grid among others.
But the success of such programmes has been slow to realise. Africa only accounts for just over 1% of US foreign trade, which is dominated by petroleum imports from Nigeria and Angola.

In his address on Wednesday, the US president spoke about a $500m-investment to reduce transport costs at a key West African port in Benin.

He also mentioned $350m that would be spent on boosting the digital economy and said that $15bn-worth of deals had been struck at the US-Africa Business Forum.

The US is also set to sign a memorandum with the African Continental Free Trade Area – one of the world’s biggest free-trade areas – which Mr Biden said would “unlock new opportunities for trade and investment” between the US and Africa.

On the sidelines of the summit on Wednesday, Mr Biden separately met the six leaders of African nations which are holding elections in 2023 to press for free votes.

On Thursday, the US president said he would back the African Union’s admission as a permanent member of the Group of 20 major economies

By Zhang Pan, People’s Daily

A ceremony celebrating the achievements of the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme (the Scheme) and an experience sharing activity were recently held in Hong Kong.

Unveiled at the beginning of 2021, the Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme has attracted more than 400 companies in various sectors to offer job vacancies and over 1,000 Hong Kong young people have found jobs, said John Lee, chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The scheme has been warmly received by participating companies and young people, he added.

The chief executive’s policy address has stated that the HKSAR government will regularize the Scheme to enable more young people to seize the opportunities brought by the development of the Greater Bay Area.

The Scheme aims to encourage enterprises with business in both Hong Kong and mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area to employ university graduates in Hong Kong and station them to work in the Greater Bay Area mainland cities, thereby enhancing Hong Kong young people’s understanding of the latest development and opportunities in the mainland.

Each qualified graduate will be paid a monthly salary of not less than HK$18,000, as well as a monthly allowance of HK$10,000 provided by the government for a maximum period of 18 months.

During the experience sharing session, many young people from Hong Kong shared their experience of working in Greater Bay Area mainland cities via video link.

He Yimin, a graduate trainee from the Bank of China (Hong Kong) Limited, said that over the past one year, she came to realize that banks in mainland cities have advantages in various sectors and that the mainland is developing at a fast pace. She has also gained a deeper understanding of the complementary advantages shared by the mainland and Hong Kong, as well as the huge market potential of the Greater Bay Area.

“I will consider working in the mainland and hope that I can contribute my part to the development of the Greater Bay Area,” said He.

In August 2021, Pan Zifeng from Hong Kong joined Tencent through the Scheme. He is currently manager of public affairs (Greater Bay Area) in Tencent. Pan said he is impressed by the development of the Greater Bay Area after knowing more about the region through work and witnessing the development of internet companies in Shenzhen.

The Scheme has made it easier for the Hong Kong young people to seek employment. The allowance they receive from the HKSAR government, together with the decent salaries and a monthly living allowance provided by the government of Guangdong province are incentives that motivate them to remain in the mainland, Pan said.

More than 30 enterprises were awarded for their active participation in the program. Chan Man, Deputy Chief Executive of the Bank of China (Hong Kong), which was a recipient of the honor, expressed that the Greater Bay Area enjoys infinite development opportunities and Hong Kong young people participating in the program, with a global vision and experience gained by working for financial institutions in the mainland, are valuable talents.

“Young people are the future of national development and the HKSAR government will continue to support young people to work in mainland cities,” said Tommy Yuen, Commissioner for the Development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area of the HKSAR government.

The HKSAR government has rolled out programs under the framework of the Youth Development Fund, including the Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. These programs are set to provide funds for 230 startups and more than 800 young people, and offer entrepreneurial support and incubation services to about 4,000 young people.

The mainland cities in the Greater Bay Area welcome young people from Hong Kong to start business.

Liang Yanting, a young woman in Hong Kong, said many young people from Hong Kong have chosen to start business in Shenzhen, a city which boasts openness and efficiency, offers favorable policies and is friendly to young entrepreneurs. The city provides support for young entrepreneurs from Hong Kong in various aspects, including policies, subsidies, corporate registration, housing and offices.

“I hope that young people from Hong Kong can make use of the favorable policies offered by the mainland cities to make progress and better integrate into the development of the Greater Bay Area,” Liang expressed.

By Du Yifei, People’s Daily

China recently launched the manned spaceship Shenzhou-15. The launch marks the final one at the construction stage of its space station.

China began construction of the space station with the launch of Tianhe core module – the main living quarters for astronauts – in April 2021. Under a tight schedule of 19 months, the country has delivered all of the 11 launches and sent a total of 12 astronauts on four missions for the in-orbit construction of the space station. Two re-entry capsules of China’s manned spaceship missions successfully returned to earth, and Chinese astronauts completed their extravehicular activities for seven times. The complete construction of the T-shaped space station as scheduled reflects China’s robust development in the domain of manned space technology.

China’s space station will enter a phase of application and development lasting more than 10 years. Astronauts will stay in orbit to conduct research on space science and explore the universe. The space station will provide an open platform for global cooperation on space exploration.

China’s space station is the first project of its kind that is open to all United Nations (UN) member states. So far, there are already nine projects involving 17 countries, including Switzerland, Poland, Germany and Italy, and 23 entities selected among the first batch of scientific experiments to be carried out on the space station, covering frontier fields such as space astronomy, space life science and biotechnology, space medicine, space physics, and applied new technologies. These scientific experiments will begin in 2023, according to Ji Qiming, spokesperson for the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).

China has always welcomed astronauts from other countries to enter its space station to conduct experiments, Ji added. China has received requests from several countries to send astronauts to participate in its space station missions, and the country is coordinating with relevant parties and actively preparing for the training of foreign astronauts.

China’s opening up of the space station to the world has vividly demonstrated it’s commitment to win-win cooperation, and fully reflected the country’s adherence to openness and inclusiveness, and its determination to build a community with a shared future for mankind.

Simonetta Di Pippo, director of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), said China’s opening up of the space station to the world is an important part of the UN’s “Access to Space for All” initiative and a great example.

To explore the unknown universe and develop space technology is the common course of human beings, and international cooperation is the trend of space development. China’s opening up of the space station to the world vividly reflects that China has actively carried out international exchanges and cooperation in outer space by following the principles of equality, mutual benefit, peaceful utilization, and inclusive development.

In nearly ten years, China has signed 84 space cooperation agreements or memoranda of understanding with 34 national space agencies and four international organizations and space cooperation outlines with nine national space agencies. It has also participated in the activities of 18 international organizations, including the UN Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space (COPUOS).

China has carried out in-depth cooperation in the country’s Chang’e-4 lunar probe and Tianwen-1 Mars probe and worked with international scientists to analyze exploration data obtained by the two probes. By sharing the 16-meter resolution data obtained by Gaofen satellites with global users, China has provided high-definition data products and spatial information support for more than 150 countries around the world, including those along the Belt and Road.

The country has also taken the lead in initiating multilateral cooperation projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative Space Information Corridor, the Asia-Pacific Region Multilateral Cooperation in Small Multi-Mission Satellites Project, and the BRICS Remote-Sensing Satellite Constellation.

China has promoted progress of the space industry for mankind as a whole and its long-term sustainable development by taking concrete actions.

With the space station entering the application and development phase, China will continue to adhere to the development concept of openness and sharing, and carry out more and deeper pragmatic cooperation with countries and regions committed to the peaceful utilization of outer space, so that the sci-tech achievements of China’s space station will benefit all mankind.

…..decry poor management of NILEST, failure to harness hides and skin in Nigeria

The Oodua Youth Parliament has faulted the decision by the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST) to site the ₦350 million worth tannery in Daura, Katsina State.

Speaker of the parliament, Hon. Abdulmajeed Oyeniye while addressing a press conference in Abuja argued that it is unfair that an Institute located in the Northwest Geopolitical Zone will choose to site such project within the same region.

“Are other states like Lagos, Oyo or Ekiti not part of the country again or was the institute established only for the Northwest region? This is unacceptable to the generality of Nigerians and must be reversed in the spirit of federal character and fairness,” the group queried.

The parliament expressed dissatisfaction with Director General of the institute, Professor Mohammed Kabir Yakubu alleging the institute has failed to live up to the expectations of providing job opportunities to Nigerians and help boost the economy.

The group thereby called for the immediate sack of Yakubu with with the aim of replacing him with a competent hand that would reposition the institute for service delivery.

The group alleged: “NILEST was conceived with the aim of harnessing the vast potentials in the flourishing livestock industry in country especially in northern Nigeria.

“With over 100 million of cows, goats and ship with thousand slaughters daily, Nigeria was projected to be a net exporter of hides and an industrial hub in the leather and skin industrial sector. More than 20 years down the line nothing has changed and it got worse under the present administration of Professor Mohammed Kabir Yakubu.

“The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has shown that Nigeria exports less than 100 tons of hides and skin. In fact it’s questionable if this quantity is exported to neighboring African countries and whether it’s just raw skin or actually hides.

“There has not be any visible footprint of NILEST anywhere in Nigeria even though there are abattoirs spread across the country from Maiduguri to Lagos and Port Harcourt. All attempts made at skinning and preservation are done at the individual level with no input from a supposedly professional body.

“Thus crude practices and techniques still exists making it impossible for the country to produce leather fit for domestic consumption talk more of exportation.

“Prof. Yakubu has done nothing to justify the huge taxpayers money invested in the Institute has headed for years. Nigerian animal skin especially cow skins are only useful for local consumption as ‘ponmo’. There is no industry in Nigeria that processes animal skin, not even the laboratory in NILEST. While the machines and manpower is on standby, there no management direction and input from anywhere making government investments a total waste.

“Nigerians still prefer Italian shoes and bags and belts. The raw materials for these are made from the same cows we have here in abundance. If NILEST was incapable of pioneering research in skin and hides preservation, it should have at least partnered the local tanner’s in Katisna, Zaria, Kano, Borno and elsewhere, but as we speak there is none such partnership and no capacity building of any kind. This is totally unacceptable and must be stopped.

“By sheer lack of foresight, NILEST has cost Nigerians millions of jobs. With the resources and capacity available to the research institute, millions of Nigerian youth ought to have been trained in skinning, preservation and collection of hides across the country for onward processing at designated centres for export and use by local shoemakers.

“Imagine 5 employees per an abattoir across the country. Imagine the indirect jobs that would have come with this arrangement. The value chain from animal skins and hides would have been enormous. The inability of this professor to deliver is enough to send him packing back to the classroom where he came from.

“The Director General of NILEST has performed abysmally. Infrastructure development under his tenure is poor with nothing to show for so far. Aside house personal comfort, there has been no staff promotions and further studies grants since he assumed office.

“At a time Nigeria is seeking to diversify and shift from high dependence on oil, we don’t want a leader that thinks only about their personal interests. A new DG that will reposition the Institute and revive the research culture for industrial gains and economic development is what we want at the moment.

“While we call on President Buhari to use his good office and sack professor Yakubu, we urge the President to equally bring a replacement that will prioritize youth training and partnerships that will address the dependence on foreign leather products and create jobs for teeming Nigerians.

” Policies aimed at stopping the consumption of ‘ponmo’ should be backed by concrete actions aimed at harnessing the abundant skins and hides for a vibrant leather industry.”

…calls for the Sack of the incumbent DG

Oodua Youth Parliament, a Civil Society Organization (CSO) with the mandate to institutionalize good governance at all levels, including holding political appointees and public servants accountable for their stewardship, has described as deplorable the state of affairs at the Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST) Zaria, Kaduna State.

Addressing journalists at the International Conference Center Abuja, RT. Hon. Abdulmajeed Oyeniye, Speaker, Oodua Youth Parliament wondered why a research institute of international standard like NILEST has failed to produce a single patent, innovation or solved any local problem since it was established.

“Research institutes everywhere around the world are supposed to be centres of excellence and innovations. They are supposed to be specialised centres pioneering advanced innovative research projects and churning out products that are useful for both individual consumption and industrial use. Sadly, the situation in NILEST is appalling and deplorable. There is no single achievement, no patent, no innovation, nothing at all to justify the trillions of naira spent on the Institute over the past two decades”, the statement maintained.

Recounting the rationale behind the establishment of NILEST, RT. Hon. Abdulmajeed Oyeniye pointed out that the Institute was conceived as a strategy for diversifying and stimulating the local economy through the already thriving livestock industry in the country to produce quality leather products for domestic and international markets. He noted further that if this mandate was achieved, Nigeria would have become one of the largest leather exporters with a thriving local leather industry.

“NILEST was established with the aim of harnessing the vast potentials in the flourishing livestock industry in country. With over 100 million of cows, goats and ship with thousand slaughters daily, Nigeria was projected to be a net exporter of hides and an industrial hub in the leather and skin industrial sector. More than 20 years down the line nothing has changed and it has gotten worse under the present administration of Professor Mohammed Kabir Yakubu with data from the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) showing that Nigeria exported less than 100 tons hides and skin in the 2021. There has not be any visible footprint of NILEST anywhere in Nigeria even though there are abattoirs spread across the country from Maiduguri to Lagos and Port Harcourt. All attempts made at skinning and preservation are done at the individual level with no input from a supposedly professional research institute”, the Speaker noted.

The CSO maintained that, lack of management direction and vision over the years and particularly in the last two years has made Nigeria a dumping ground for foreign leather products including shoes and bags and belts. Nigerians, the group added has no value for Nigerian animal skins again aside their nutritional value even though animal skins have no nutrients for the human body.

According to the speaker, “it is shameful that Nigerian animal skin especially cow skins are only useful for local consumption as ‘ponmo’. There is no industry in Nigeria that processes animal skin, not even the laboratory in NILEST. Nigerians still prefer Italian shoes and bags and belts. If NILEST was incapable of pioneering research in skin and hides processing, it should have at least partnered the local tanner’s in Katisna, Zaria, Kano, Borno and elsewhere, but as we speak there is none such partnership and no capacity building of any kind. This is totally unacceptable”

The Youth Parliament noted that, since agriculture is the mainstay of the Nigerian economy, it is possible that a vibrant and functional NILEST should have provided millions of direct and indirect jobs to Nigerians if the management had vision and foresight. If ony 1000 youths where trained and employment across the the 774 local government areas in the 36 States including the FCT, the issue of youth unemployment would have been solved. This, the group submitted, has never been the case leading to the loss of billions of dollars that would have been accruing from exports and domestic trade.

Part of the statement read as follows; “by sheer lack of foresight, NILEST has cost Nigerians millions of jobs. With the resources and capacity available to the research institute, millions of Nigerian youth ought to have been trained in tanning, skinning, preservation and collection of hides across the country for onward processing at designated centres for export and use by local shoemakers. Imagine 20 employees per an abattoir across the country. Imagine the indirect jobs that would have come with this arrangement. The value chain from animal skins and hides would have been enormous”

Insisting on the sack of the current DG, Prof. Mohamed Kabir Yakubu for failure to provide visionary leadership and gross incompetence, having no credentials in the area of agricultural production or natural resources management, the group added that, the DG has displayed nepotistic tendencies that needs to be checked if the federal character arrangement and the anti-corruption war of President Buhari’s adminstration is still to be trusted and given some level of credibility.

“Not just has the current DG of NILEST performed beyond the calling of a professor, he is also nepotistic. Recently and certainly an apparent show of eye-service, he announced the establishment of ₦350 million tannery in Daura, the President’s home town in Katsina State, North West Nigeria. Isn’t it unfair that an Institute located in the Northwest Geopolitical Zone will choose to site a project like that within the same region? Are other states like Lagos, Oyo or Ekiti not part of the country again or was the institute established only for the North West region? This is unacceptable to the generality of Nigerians and must be reversed in the spirit of federal character and fairness.

“Our investigations have also shown that Mohammed Kabir Yakubu is actually a professor of Textiles Technology and not leather or agricultural production technology, neither is he an expert in natural resources management. Putting square pegs in round holes in a country like Nigeria with abundant professionals in almost all fields is shameful. No wonder, he has failed to make a mark because it’s an area he has no knowledge or expertise whatsoever. After sacking him which is the right thing to do, President Buhari should endeavour to appoint a technocrat who will drive the leather industry and give Nigerians value for the huge investments and potentials available in leather processing”, the statement concluded.

“… we will keep supporting sarkin Yakin opanda to deliver on mandate…”

As Nasarawa State Governor Engr. Abdullahi Sule clocks 63 years today Monday 26th of December, 2022. Speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi has called on citizens to pray and give him more support to succeed on his Mandate.

The Speaker who was speaking to Newsmen in Lafia felicitates with the Governor on his 63rd birthday celebration which he said is worth celebrating.

The State Number Three Citizen said the State Assembly under his watch will continue to give Governor Abdullahi Sule all the necessary support to enable him succeed on the task of providing quality leadership and good governance to the people of the State.

Speaker, Balarabe Abdullahi prayed God to continue to protect, guide and give the Governor sound health and more wisdom in the years ahead as he pilot the affairs of the State.

He emphasized that Governor Abdullahi Sule have passion for the State and has shown greater desire to turn around the fortunes of the people of the State hence the need for citizens to give him more support, understanding and prayers to succeed.

Speaker Balarabe Abdullahi added that the Governor is laying a solid foundation for the State to be among the top industrial States in the Country and need to be re-elected to continue with the good work he is doing for the people of the State.

He congratulated Governor Abdullahi Sule who holds the traditional title of Sarkin Yakin Opanda on his 63rd birthday celebration and wished him more rewarding years ahead.

By Zhong Yin, People’s Daily

As China optimizes its pandemic response measures, regions across the country have resumed work, industrial production and commercial activities.

A tunnel of the Shenyang-Baishan high-speed railway in Baishan city, northeast China’s Jilin province has resumed construction; in the Haikou International Duty Free City in south China’s Hainan province, consumers are lining up in front of cashiers; an enterprise in Changde, central China’s Hunan province recently received a 20-million-yuan ($2.87 million) export order…

In 2020, China became the first major economy to attain positive economic growth; in 2021, the country’s GDP topped 114 trillion yuan, with its two-year average growth standing at 5.1 percent; this year, the Chinese economy withstood pressure and kept consolidating the trend of recovery.

China has struck a balance between implementing COVID-19 response measures and stabilizing growth, between promoting development and keeping a red line in pandemic control, and between addressing short-term demands and pursuing long-term goals.

While safeguarding the lives and health of its huge population, the country has eradicated absolute poverty, built a moderately prosperous society in all respects, and got off to a good start in implementing the 14th Five-Year Plan, embarking on a new journey toward building a modern socialist country in all respects.

Practices proved that China has explored a path that well coordinates pandemic control and economic and social development. The country has to the maximum extent protected people’s lives and health, and reduced the impacts from COVID-19 on economic and social development to the fullest.

Coping with COVID-19 is a major test of the century, in which the most important thing is to ensure the safety of the people while advancing economy and livelihood. In the recent three years, China has constantly adjusted and optimized its prevention and control measures in accordance with the new features of the variants and the development of the pandemic. It has always been seeking a balance between COVID-19 response and economic development.

Over the recent three years, China has offered over a trillion yuan in tax relief for individual businesses and seen its annual grain output standing at more than 650 billion kilograms. It has launched a series of signature projects to promote high-quality development and released domestic demand through halving vehicle purchase tax and issuing consumption coupons.

China has coped with difficulties with science-based policies. It front-loaded and strengthened macro policies and accelerated the targeted implementation of micro policies, which boosted the confidence and relieved the burden of market entities. The country’s efforts stabilized the general economic and social development and realized economic recovery.

Addressing both pandemic response and economic development, China has demonstrated its strategic composure in complicated situations, as well as its capability in effectively coordinating COVID-19 prevention and control and economic and social development.

Now China has come to a new stage of pandemic response and optimized its control measures in accordance with the dynamics of COVID-19. It is earnestly implementing the new control measures, ensuring medical supply and services for the people, focusing on the control work for seniors and people with underlying diseases, ensuring people’s health and preventing patients from developing critical symptoms.

By optimizing control measures, enhancing coordination, and ensuring organized implementation, the country will successfully cope with the currently rising infections and maintain a sound social order.

At present, the momentum for China’s rapid economic rebound is being accumulated and released. The Chinese economy enjoys strong resilience, huge potential and strong vitality. The fundamentals sustaining China’s long-term economic growth remain unchanged, and so do the factors supporting the country’s high-quality development.

It is believed that as China further implements its new COVID-19 response measures and the country’s policies to stabilize its economy continue taking effect, China’s economic and social vitality will be released to the maximum extent, contributing to the country’s economic recovery.