Chinese Economic Expert: "COVID Control Must Be More Precise and Scientific"

The Need to Present a Clear Exit Strategy Together Raised

Yang Weimin, Deputy Director of the Economic Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Photo by China Center for International Economic Exchanges (CCIEE) website

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyunjung] Voices from within China are calling for the strict 'Zero COVID' policy to be more sophisticated and scientific, along with the presentation of a clear exit strategy.

On the 28th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Yang Weimin, Deputy Director of the Economic Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, stated, "Pandemic control should be implemented in a more sophisticated and scientific manner." Yang Weimin, a former economic advisor to Chinese President Xi Jinping, is considered the "brain of the Chinese economy" who drafted the economic policy section of the report that President Xi read for over three hours at the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party in 2017.

In a recent column published by the news portal Sina.com, Deputy Director Yang wrote, "For pandemic control, people should not move, but economic development requires mobility," adding, "The flow of production factors presupposes growth."

He was quoted as saying, "The Chinese government faces demands to provide a clear exit strategy for the strict 'Zero COVID' policy to mitigate economic damage." He further expressed a favorable attitude toward the government's proactive policy response, stating, "Only when the pandemic is well controlled can we focus on promoting economic development."

Similar views are emerging both inside and outside China. Lu Ting, Nomura's Chief China Economist, emphasized at a forum hosted by Renmin University earlier this month, "The key to economic recovery is to reduce the number of nucleic acid tests for everyone, minimize extreme measures such as city lockdowns, and accurately control the epidemic." He added, "The government should also provide a clearer exit mechanism for the Zero COVID policy to foster positive outlooks, reduce uncertainty, and stimulate investment demand."

Another government advisor in Beijing, who requested anonymity, explained why local officials prioritize the Zero COVID policy despite concerns about economic damage: "Have you ever seen a civil servant fired because of an economic downturn? However, they are being fired for failing to control outbreaks."

Within China, there is a forecast that Beijing will not adopt the full lockdown approach seen in Shanghai. On the 27th (local time), The Economist assessed, "Beijing officials seem to consider Beijing as the true testing ground for epidemic policy, viewing the chaos in Shanghai as a rare exception."

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