China Declares Victory in COVID-19 War... Effectively Ends Pandemic (Comprehensive)

President Xi, "COVID-19 is the most powerful pandemic in the world in 100 years"
The true winner of COVID-19 is President Xi

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Jo Young-shin] Chinese President Xi Jinping stated on the 8th that China has achieved a 'strategic success' in the war against the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

According to China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, President Xi said at the National COVID-19 Prevention Commendation Conference held at the Great Hall of the People on the same day, "Over the past eight months, our Party has united and led all ethnic groups and people across the country to fight a major battle against COVID-19," adding, "Through a hard and difficult historic test and tremendous efforts, we have achieved significant and strategic success in the war against COVID-19."

President Xi attributed the strategic success to the people, saying, "Through the fight against the epidemic, we have fully demonstrated China's spirit, strength, and responsibility."

He also said, "We commend exemplary individuals who made contributions in the battle against COVID-19 with the Republic Medal and national honorary titles," and expressed sincere gratitude to the Party, government, public security, military, media, compatriots in Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan, and overseas Chinese who actively participated in the fight against COVID-19."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

President Xi further stated, "COVID-19 is the most powerful epidemic to have occurred worldwide in the past 100 years," adding, "The sudden outbreak of COVID-19 posed a serious threat to the lives, safety, and health of the people."

◇ Victory in China's COVID-19 War... De Facto Declaration of End = President Xi's speech on this day is interpreted domestically and internationally as a de facto declaration and celebration of the end of COVID-19, given that no new confirmed cases have been reported in China for nearly a month.

It also serves to declare victory amid the ongoing global spread of COVID-19, including in the United States, showcasing the superiority of China's socialist system both domestically and abroad.

Since June 16, no confirmed cases have been reported in mainland China. Excluding imported cases, China is effectively a 'zero confirmed cases' country.

A diplomatic source said, "China aims to fully normalize to pre-COVID-19 conditions by September," adding, "This reflects confidence that COVID-19 has effectively ended in China and that any sporadic outbreaks can be immediately contained."

However, some analyses suggest that China's declaration of victory in the COVID-19 war may be somewhat premature. China held the Two Sessions (National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference) at the end of May and published a COVID-19 white paper on June 7, praising itself for "achieving great strategic success."

Yet, just a few days later on June 11, a cluster infection occurred in the capital Beijing, abruptly halting mentions of success regarding COVID-19 in China. The Beijing cluster infection originating in Shunyi District dealt a significant blow to China, which was on the verge of declaring the end of COVID-19. The Chinese government launched a massive nucleic acid testing campaign targeting over 10 million Beijing residents and mounted an all-out response, finally succeeding in containment on July 6.

◇ The True Winner of COVID-19 is Xi Jinping = The Chinese Communist Party's official newspaper, the People's Daily, highlighted President Xi's epidemic response capability and leadership ahead of the COVID-19 prevention commendation conference.

The People's Daily also emphasized that China has won an unprecedented war against infectious diseases in history and stressed the need for the people to unite and rally for a more prosperous life.

The People's Daily extensively reported on the spread, prevention, and control of COVID-19, as well as the Chinese leadership's response capabilities and achievements.

Particularly, the People's Daily focused on President Xi's COVID-19 response capabilities and achievements. An article titled "Important Choices at Critical Moments: President Xi's Decision to Lock Down Wuhan" evaluated it as a decisive measure to effectively block large-scale virus spread.

Another article titled "Let's Gather Unyielding Strong Power" highlighted that the background behind China's ability to control COVID-19 spread with its 1.4 billion population was the superiority of the Chinese socialist system and the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party, showcasing the superiority of China's political system.

An editorial placed on the front page of the People's Daily went further, stating that the war against the virus has created a new spiritual monument for national rejuvenation, revealing national superiority as well.

The People's Daily asserted, "The international community has witnessed China's capability in the war against infectious diseases," and confidently stated, "China's infectious disease control capability will become a role model in the history of future epidemics wars."

While the People's Daily articles focused on the process and achievements of overcoming COVID-19 and the people's endurance of suffering, the core was centered on President Xi. The backbone of all articles published that day was that from the initial outbreak to the controllable stage, it was possible because of President Xi's leadership.

A diplomatic source explained, "Due to China's social system, public opinion has not turned against the government amid US-China conflicts," adding, "Rather, the Chinese people are becoming more united around President Xi Jinping." The source also noted that the commendation conference was designed by the Chinese government to maximize this effect.

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