China’s President Xi Jinping inspects a hospital in Beijing, where patients infected with COVID-19 are treated, February 10, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua/ VNA)

At a meeting in Beijing on coordinating Covid-19 control and economic development, Mr. Xi said that the Covid-19 outbreak is a major public health emergency that has spread the fastest, caused the most infections, and been the most difficult to contain since China’s founding. Although China has taken effective steps to cope with the epidemic, the fight against Covid-19 is still in a critical phase, he said.

President Xi warned that the coronavirus will have a relatively big impact on the economy and society, but will be short-term and controllable. He said the government will step up efforts to cushion the blow, adding China has taken a number of measures in recent weeks to prop up its economy and still achieve its socio-economic goals this year.