SINGAPORE – China’s leader Xi Jinping gave a rare acknowledgment of the difficulties three years of pandemic controls – which were abruptly lifted this month – have plagued the Chinese people. He called for more determination and promised better times.
“It has not been an easy journey for anyone,” Mr Xi said on Saturday during his annual New Year’s Eve speech to the nation. “All hold fast with great strength, and the light of hope is right before us.”
Earlier this month, China quickly dismantled many of the key elements of the Covid-19 prevention system that has ruled the daily lives of Chinese people for the past three years, including mass testing, lockdowns and quarantines. This week authorities said they would lift many of the last remaining restrictions, including those governing international travel.
In a tacit acknowledgment of the protests against Covid-19 restrictions in late November, Mr Xi pointed to differing public opinion and called for unity.
President Xi Jinping said in his New Year’s Eve speech on Saturday that China’s economy is doing well.
Photo: Ju Peng/Zuma Press
“We are a big country. It’s only natural that different people have different concerns or have different views on the same issue,” Mr Xi said, urging “consensus through communication and consultation.”
Earlier this month, Mr Xi told visiting European officials that the protests were mainly caused by students and reflected frustration at the Covid-related restrictions over the past three years.
As China lifted those measures, tens of millions of Chinese are said to have been infected with Covid-19, leading to shortages of antiviral drugs and essential fever medication, while hospital emergency rooms and crematoria across the country have been inundated. The economy has taken a hit as sick workers shut down factory and service sector activities.
In an editorial this week, the Communist Party-affiliated tabloid Global Times described the current wave of infections as “a brief period of imperfection” in China’s three-year fight against Covid-19. “By the end of 2022 there will be problems and shortcomings. But China has done relatively best in the fight against the virus,” the editorial said.
As China reopens after nearly three years of isolation, the US and several other countries are requiring travelers to present a negative Covid-19 test. WSJ explains why some pandemic restrictions are back and what they mean for people traveling to and from China. Photo: Nicola Marfisi/Avalon via ZUMA Press
Mr. Xi, in his New Year’s speech, described the policy changes as an attempt to adapt to the evolving virus and the higher transmissibility and lower death rates associated with the omicron variant of the coronavirus, which is now prevalent in China and around the world.
“Since Covid-19 struck, we have put people first and put life first,” Mr Xi said. “Following a science-based and purposeful approach, we have adjusted our Covid response in light of the evolving situation to protect people’s lives and health.”
Mr. Xi also described China’s economy as on solid footing, with gross domestic product set to rise to over 120 trillion yuan, equivalent to $17.4 trillion, in nominal GDP this year at current prices, not adjusted for inflation -Growth implied to be more than 4% this year.
Most economists are forecasting that China’s inflation-adjusted GDP will grow by around 3% this year, while the government’s official target is around 5.5%. Earlier this week, China revised GDP growth for 2021 to 8.4% from 8.1% previously reported in January, an adjustment that provides a higher baseline for comparison with economic growth this year.
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Mr. Xi used his speech to address other milestones over the past year, including the biannual Communist Party Congress in October, where Mr. Xi tightened his grip on the levers of power, as well as the death of his predecessor, Jiang Zemin November.
Though he didn’t specifically mention Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mr Xi did speak of unprecedented changes happening around the world. “The world is not yet a quiet place,” he said.
During a video call on Friday, Mr Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed expanding military ties and pledged to further strengthen strategic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing. Mr Putin touched on the prospect of Mr Xi’s state visit to Moscow in the spring, stressing their bond as their nations are at odds with the US and its allies.
After a year of military and political maneuvering in Taiwan, Mr Xi also urged the people of the island, which China claims as part of its territory, to “work together with a unified goal to collectively promote the enduring prosperity of the Chinese nation.”
—Grace Zhu and Xiao Xiao contributed to this article.
Write to Sha Hua at [email protected]
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