XI: CHINA READY TO SUPPORT DPRK IN VIRUS FIGHT

President Xi Jinping has expressed his confidence in securing a final victory in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic with the joint efforts of China and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea as well as the international community.

He said China is willing to enhance cooperation with the DPRK on epidemic control and provide support within its capacity in accordance with the DPRK's needs.

Xi, who is also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, made the remark on Saturday in a verbal message of thanks to Kim Jong-un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK, in reply to an earlier verbal message from Kim.

Under the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee, China has achieved significantly strategic results in its epidemic control work through arduous efforts, Xi said, adding that he was also concerned about the situation of epidemic control in the DPRK and the health of its people.

He said he felt gratified and pleased that Kim has guided the WPK and the DPRK people to adopt a series of anti-epidemic measures that have led to positive progress.

Saying that he was glad to receive the warm and friendly verbal message from Kim, Xi also recalled that Kim had sent him a letter of sympathy over the COVID-19 outbreak in February and provided support for China to combat the virus.

This has fully reflected the profound bond of friendship that Kim, the WPK, the DPRK government and its people share with their Chinese counterparts, and it is a vivid illustration of the solid foundation and strong vitality of the traditional friendship between China and the DPRK, Xi said, expressing his deep gratitude and high appreciation.

Noting that he highly values the development of China-DPRK relations, Xi said he will work with Kim to guide related departments of both parties and countries to implement the important consensuses between the two sides, strengthen strategic communication and deepen exchanges and cooperation.

By doing so, the two neighbors can constantly push forward the development of China-DPRK relations in the new era, bring more benefits to both countries and their people, and make positive contributions to regional peace, stability, development and prosperity, Xi added.

Kim has paid four visits to China since March 2018. As last year marked the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, Xi paid a two-day visit to Pyongyang in June, the first visit by the CPC general secretary and China's president in 14 years.

In his verbal message sent to Xi on Thursday, Kim highly appreciated and congratulated Xi on leading the CPC and the Chinese people in making splendid achievements and securing a great victory in the battle against the epidemic.

He said he firmly believed that under Xi's leadership, the CPC and the Chinese people will surely win a final victory.

Kim also wished Xi good health, extended greetings to all CPC members, and expressed his hope that relations between the WPK and the CPC will grow closer and enjoy sound development.

As of Sunday, more than 3.9 million people in the world have been infected with COVID-19, and over 274,000 people died, according to the World Health Organization.

Pak Myong-su, director of the anti-epidemic department of the DPRK's Central Emergency Anti-epidemic Headquarters, told Agence France-Presse last month that the country's strict containment measures had been completely successful and no single person was infected.

ECONOMIC REBOUND SEEN FOR 2ND QUARTER

China's economy will continue to rebound in the second quarter but the recovery pace may be constrained by external uncertainties and a global downturn, therefore stronger domestic policies are needed to ensure a steady recovery for the rest of the year, economists said.

The authorities are scheduled to release key economic data for April this week including industrial output, inflation, retail sales and fixed-asset investment. The data will shed light on the health and recovery pace of the world's second-largest economy, and it will also offer clues for policymakers on their next steps to stimulate growth and facilitate business resumption.

More detailed economic policies are expected to be announced during the annual session of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, which will open on May 22.

Attention has been focused on how China will set this year's growth target, to what extent the government will raise its budget deficit ratio and what additional stimulus policies will be rolled out to support the economic recovery.

Economists believe that one of the most acute challenges facing the Chinese economy is the substantial decline of external demand due to the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. China's exports may continue to shrink in the second quarter after falling 11.4 percent year-on-year in the first quarter.

Many of them have been calling for even stronger policies including more fiscal spending to boost investment and introducing more incentives for companies and individual consumers to stimulate domestic demand.

The country's top leadership has put forward six priorities for the country amid the COVID-19 outbreak. These are employment, people's livelihood, the development of market entities, food and energy security, the stable operation of industrial and supply chains, and the smooth functioning of society.

President Xi Jinping has stressed on multiple occasions the necessity of China resuming production at full capacity, bringing life and work back to normal and fostering new growth drivers, given the unprecedented challenges facing the nation's economy.

CHINA LEADS IN BATTLE AGAINST PANDEMIC

China has been at the forefront of the global fight against the COVID-19 outbreak, sharing its experiences, expertise and donating supplies and equipment to countries around the world.

On May 5, Singapore received a total of 620,000 face masks donated by the Chinese government and the Red Cross Society of China to help the city-state manage the outbreak. COVID-19 infections had risen to 23,336 in Singapore as of May 10, the highest in Southeast Asia.

"As the pandemic continues to threaten lives and livelihoods around the world, international cooperation is crucial in surmounting this common foe," said Lam Pin Min, Singapore's senior minister of state of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Transport, in a statement.

"I am heartened that Singapore and China have been working closely together at all levels to stem the spread of the virus," said Lam, adding such robust collaboration during this difficult time is testament to the strong friendship between the two countries.

On May 4, China donated about 270,000 Fijian dollars ($119,780) in medical supplies to Fiji. The donation came after an earlier donation of $300,000 to Fiji from China.

Fijian Minister for Health and Medical Services Ifereimi Waqainabete said the donation will further strengthen Fiji's fight against the virus and also enhance the strong development partnership with China.

"Going forward, this pandemic will only make us stronger and also grant us the ability to share expertise between Fiji and China," said Waqainabete, as quoted on a government website, expressing his gratitude to China's assistance in the South Pacific island nation's fight against COVID-19.

The Chinese government has pledged $1.9 million in cash and medical supplies to Fiji and other Pacific Island countries to fight COVID-19, according to the Chinese embassy in Fiji.

In Japan, the nationwide state of emergency has been extended until the end of May due to the continuous rise in new COVID-19 infections. As of April 28, the Chinese government, friendship organizations and enterprises have donated tens of millions of pieces of medical supplies, including masks and protective gear, as well as testing equipment and kits, according to the Chinese embassy in Japan.

Japanese State Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Gaku Hashimoto said in early April that China has provided important support to Japan for prevention and control of COVID-19, noting China's timely sharing of anti-pandemic experience and large provisions of medical supplies.

Infectious disease, Hashimoto said, is a common challenge faced by the international community that needs to be jointly dealt with by all countries in solidarity and through cooperation.

On May 4, a new consignment of donations, including medical equipment, reagents and consumables, was donated to a newly built military hospital laboratory in Myanmar. The lab was also set up with the help of a Chinese medical team, according to Xinhua News Agency.

China has provided medical supplies to more than 150 countries and international organizations by mid-April, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said earlier.

SHANGHAI DISNEYLAND REOPENS AFTER THREE-MONTH CLOSURE

Shanghai Disneyland reopened its gates on Monday, becoming the first Walt Disney theme park worldwide to welcome guests again following novel coronavirus-related closures.

The park hosted a special reopening ceremony against a colorful backdrop of the iconic 'Flora Minnie', where cast members and invited guests joined more than 30 Disney characters, including Mickey Mouse and his friends, Duffy and Friends, to commemorate the special occasion.

"Today, we are extremely pleased to reopen Shanghai Disneyland thanks to the unwavering efforts of our cast members and our community," Joe Schott, president and general manager of Shanghai Disney Resort. "Today's celebrations will be remembered with joy, as we look forward to welcoming our guests back to this happy place."

During this initial reopening phase, the park has instituted new measures and procedures, including opening with limited attendance and required advanced ticketing and reservations, accommodating social distancing throughout the park, and implementing increased frequency of cleaning and sanitization.

The park shuttered on Jan 25 during the height of the COVID-19 in China. The company re-opened adjacent facilities such as the Disneytown, an entertainment and catering complex, on March 9.

IN 30 MINUTES, DONG MINGZHU MAKES 100M YUAN IN SALES

Gree Electric Chairperson Dong Mingzhu sold 100 million yuan ($14.1 million) in products via livestream on Sunday, Sina Finance reported on Monday.

Dong attended the livestream via Kuaishou, a leading Chinese online short video platform, on May 10, Mother's Day and China Brand Day.

At a studio promoting products made in China, Dong, together with livestreaming celebrity Li Jiaqi, showcased a Gree Electric air conditioner at a discount price of 3,699 yuan, 700 yuan lower than its original price.

About 1,844 such air conditioners, worth about 6.8 million yuan in total, were sold within 5 minutes.

Dong has changed her original attitude toward online sales, and said the livestream was not an end but a new start. She will continue to use the platform to bring high-quality Chinese products online.

Gree electric appliances lost or undersold 30 billion yuan in the first quarter of this year, with net profit falling to 1.56 billion yuan — down 72.53 percent year-on-year — due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

HIGH-LEVEL GROUP SENT TO SICHUAN TO TACKLE RISK OF DEADLY FOREST FIRES

The State Council, China's cabinet, has dispatched a high-level steering group to Sichuan province to guide a campaign that aims to curb the high incidence of deadly forest fires there.

Headed by Huang Ming, Party chief of the Ministry of Emergency Management, the group is the first of its kind established for forest and prairie fire control work in a provincial-level region, the ministry said in a news release.

Fu Jianhua, deputy director of the office of the State Council's Work Safety Committee, is executive deputy head of the group, which also includes three other senior officials as deputy heads, including Li Shuming, deputy head of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

"The campaign is being launched in response to the urgent demand to address loopholes in forest and prairie fire prevention and control work in Sichuan province," Huang told a conference in Chengdu, Sichuan's provincial capital, on Thursday.

The southwestern province has hit the headlines twice for major deadly forest fires in the past 14 months. In March last year, a forest blaze claimed 31 lives in the province's Liangshan Yi autonomous prefecture, including 27 firefighters. About a year later, on March 31, another raging forest fire in the prefecture killed 19 people who were fighting it and seriously injured three others.

On Thursday, the prefecture's emergency management authority dispatched firefighters to battle another forest fire that started at around 5 pm that day.

All of the estimated 800 firefighters dispatched to the site had to leave the front line around lunchtime on Friday because of gusts that made the fire extremely difficult to control. There have been no reports that it has been brought under control.

Huang demanded the province "think over the reasons after these bitter lessons" and treat the campaign as an opportunity to effectively enhance its fire prevention and control capabilities to "resolutely eradicate major deadly accidents".

"We should always give priority to the safety of people's lives and property and also the safety of firefighters," he said.

The three-phase campaign will last for one year. Aside from publicity and education on fire prevention and control from May to July, the province will have to make lists of major safety hazards and outstanding problems found by the authorities and draft rectification plans accordingly, the ministry said.

The public can report problems in local forest and prairie fire control work to the steering group by phone, mail or email, it added.

Authorities in the province will have to stamp out all the safety hazards and address the problems from September to December. In the following three months, examination and evaluation will be organized to check the rectification results, the ministry said.

Peng Qinghua, Party secretary of Sichuan province, said the arrival of the steering group was of "great significance" to the province in promoting its fire prevention and control capabilities and comprehensive rectification of problems.

"In strict accordance with the requirements of the steering group", the province will make resolute efforts to address the problems, he said.

OVERSEAS JOURNALISTS VISIT SHANGHAI SCHOOLS

Overseas journalists invited to visit two schools in Shanghai last week described students as "taking the health crisis in their stride" and "undaunted" after classes resumed following more than two months of online study at home.

Forty-nine journalists from eight countries and regions−including Japan, France, the United States, the United Kingdom and Singapore−toured two middle schools on Thursday, the day after students in the third-year of junior high and the second-year of senior high returned to school. Their reports highlighted China's gradual return to school as some educational institutions in other countries hit by the novel coronavirus pneumonia pandemic weigh their own positions.

Students' mental well-being after staying at home since January was a focus of their interviews.

Shanghai High School principal Feng Zhigang told Agence France-Presse that resuming classes was the responsible thing to do, not only for the teenagers' studies, but also for their physical and mental health.

"(At home) there is a lack of social activities, so long-term online lessons more or less will bring some problems," he said.

The school told the journalists it had emphasized social responsibility in its online classes and encouraged students to embrace changes and adopt a positive mood for study.

Shanghai High School alumnus Hu Weiguo, the head of a Shanghai medical team sent to support Wuhan, the Chinese city hit hardest by the pandemic, gave a speech about the team's experience that students watched online. It motivated them to be hardworking and contribute to society, the school said.

A story by Reuters said students were "thrilled" to return to class after the monthslong lockdown despite having to wear face masks, compulsory temperature checks, strict hygiene procedures, the installation of glass shields on dining tables and constant reminders to keep 1 meter apart.

Principal Feng told Reuters the school had a psychological guidance team to assist students during the isolation of online classes, but that could never be a substitute for being reunited with friends and teachers in person.

Some students said they were not daunted and had become used to pandemic prevention measures, which had become the new normal in public spaces in Shanghai.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Men willingly believe what they wish. - Julius Caesar