Xi Jinping Emphasizes Military Deployment and Role in Controlling Novel Coronavirus

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] As the number of confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) in China rapidly approaches 12,000, Chinese President Xi Jinping has declared a large-scale military deployment, emphasizing the military's role in containing the virus spread.

According to the People's Daily on the 1st, the Central Military Commission of China issued a "Notice on Implementing President Xi Jinping's Important Instructions and Winning the Epidemic Control Battle," announcing that the military's role in curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus has been strengthened.

The notice orders the military to resolutely fulfill the epidemic prevention tasks assigned by the Communist Party of China and President Xi Jinping, and urges recognition that the military bears the responsibility for epidemic prevention. It also emphasized, "The military must not lose its original aspiration, keep its mission firmly in mind, actively fight for epidemic control, and contribute."

Furthermore, it urged that "the military must become the guardian of the people's lives and safety, and promote military-government cooperation and military-civilian unity for epidemic control."

On the 29th of last month, President Xi also instructed, "The entire military must recognize the mission of the People's Army, select elite personnel, and swiftly deploy them to the frontlines of epidemic control,” and “Do not neglect this critical mission or disgrace the mission, but actively engage in the fight against the epidemic.” This appears to be an intention to massively deploy over 2 million military personnel stationed across China to the frontlines of novel coronavirus prevention to minimize the spread of the epidemic.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang also chaired a high-level meeting the day before to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, emphasizing that controlling the virus spread during the period when people return home after the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) holiday is most important.

He urged all local governments to act decisively according to President Xi's instructions to control the novel coronavirus and strengthen lockdown measures to prevent further spread. He also stressed the importance of ensuring sufficient supply of medical supplies and resources for epidemic control, and instructed that information related to the novel coronavirus must be disclosed transparently, timely, and accurately.

Meanwhile, the National Health Commission of China (NHC) announced that as of midnight, the cumulative confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus in 31 provinces nationwide reached 11,791, with 259 deaths. This represents an increase of 2,102 confirmed cases and 46 deaths compared to the previous day.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.