Xi Jinping's Visit to Wuhan Rumored... Signal of Victory in the COVID-19 Battle?

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] Attention is focused on the possibility that Chinese President Xi Jinping will soon visit Wuhan, Hubei Province, known as the origin of COVID-19. If President Xi, who was criticized for leaving the early visit to Wuhan during the initial spread of COVID-19 to Premier Li Keqiang, visits Wuhan this time, it is expected to symbolically signify that China has effectively won the battle against COVID-19.

On the 6th, Hong Kong Ming Pao, citing sources in Beijing, reported that President Xi will soon visit Wuhan, Hubei Province, to inspect the COVID-19 prevention situation. The sources said that although the Chinese government has not yet judged that the spread of COVID-19 has reached a turning point, if the situation is deemed to be easing, President Xi will visit Wuhan, and that time will come soon.

It was added that President Xi’s Wuhan visit schedule will include visits to Jinintan Hospital, Huoshenshan, and Leishenshan hospitals, where COVID-19 patients are concentrated. Also, President Xi is expected to visit residential areas to comfort Wuhan citizens who suffered difficulties due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and there is a high possibility that he will visit the Institute of Virology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan.

If President Xi visits Wuhan, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak, it may be perceived by the Chinese people as a sign that the government has won the battle against COVID-19.

The Chinese government has already emphasized the calming situation of COVID-19 through state-run media, highlighting the effectiveness of COVID-19 control. On this day, China’s Xinhua News Agency emphasized that no new confirmed cases were reported in 26 provinces within China, but urged that vigilance in prevention should not be relaxed until the end, as overseas "reverse-imported" cases of COVID-19 continue.

On the previous day, Zhang Baili, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said in an interview with the People's Daily, "We analyzed the infection trend. Since the end of February, the number of new confirmed cases outside Wuhan, Hubei Province, has almost disappeared," and added, "I expect that by mid-March, there will be no new confirmed cases outside Wuhan, Hubei Province."

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