Victory announced against the virus: postponed in the midst of an epidemic, the annual session of the Chinese Parliament will finally be held at the end of May to celebrate the return of the country to normal.
Now, the health situation “is gradually improving” and “economic and social life are gradually resuming their normal course”, assured Wednesday New China, for which “the conditions are met” now to convene the Parliament.
“On foot”
A few hours later, the Beijing city hall announced the lifting from Thursday of the mandatory 14-day quarantine to which all those arriving in the Chinese capital are subject.However, this measure does not concern certain travelers: those coming from Hubei (the province at the epicenter of the epidemic and of which Wuhan is the capital), those coming from areas of China still considered to be at high risk, or those arriving from abroad.
The new coronavirus, detected at the end of last year in the center of the country, infected nearly 83,000 people there, including 4,633 fatally, according to official figures, before spreading all over the world.
After being slow to react and even suppressing whistleblowers, the government has taken drastic measures with the de facto quarantine of Hubei province and the economic paralysis of the country.
The convocation of the Parliament is “a sign that China is back on its feet, and that the economic machine continues to spin,” said Willy Lam.
According to him, this announcement also aims to reassure Chinese citizens after a sharp contraction in the economy in the first quarter (-6.8%).
The annual parliamentary session gives rise to certain ritual announcements, such as the objective of economic growth to follow for the current year.
Wild animals
In its latest forecasts, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) says it expects “moderate” growth in China of + 1.2% in 2020, before a spike of + 9.2% next year in favor of ” a hoped-for recovery of the world economy.
New China did not specify if all the deputies would be physically present in Beijing or if the parliamentary session could take place online for some of them.
The event usually stretches over 10 days, time to record the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) decisions.
This year, 17 laws relating to health and hygiene must be presented to the deputies, this week said new China.
The program notably includes the prohibition of the illegal trade in wild animals and the strengthening of legislation to prevent epidemics.
After the upheavals of the “Cultural Revolution” (1966-1976), the plenary session took place ritually every year since 1978.
Since 1985, it has systematically started in March and has even started without fail on March 5 since 1998, as a symbol of the stability of the regime which just celebrated its 70th anniversary last year.
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