NEW MFA SPOKESPERSON

　　On February 24， Zhao Lijian， Deputy Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Information Department， debuted as the 31st MFA spokesperson and hosted the daily press conference.
　　Born in November 1972 in Hebei， north China， Zhao worked in the Department of Asian Affairs in the ministry and embassies in the U.S. and Pakistan， and has accumulated a high level of diplomatic expertise and communication skills during his diplomatic career spanning 24 years. He was appointed deputy director general of the ministry’s Information Department in 2019.
　　Zhao became a celebrity on Twitter when he worked in the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan from 2015 to 2019， due to his measured clarifications on China on several occasions on the social media. He became famous as a“wolf warrior” diplomat after a heated debate with Susan Rice， former U.S. national security adviser， during which he tweeted appreciation for the support of ambassadors of 37 countries to China’s Xinjiang policy.

Assistance to SMEs

　　China Youth Daily February 21
　　To realize the target of maintaining stable employment， one of the eight requirements on the resumption of nation’s economic activities， allround measures to cut corporate burdens were introduced by the State Council on February 18， especially for small and medium-sized enterprises（SMEs）.
　　Enterprises have been exempted from social insurance payments and the collection of housing provident funds has been deferred to mitigate the impact of the epidemic outbreak.
　　The outbreak of the epidemic has led many SMEs to suspend production to different extents. This directly effects employment and income， which can have further negative effect on market activities.
　　In fact， in addition to the SMEs， some large enterprises are also faced with difficulties in resuming operations. However， while large companies are likely to see a decline in profits and business scale， the SMEs may face total shutdown. Some of the SMEs need to deal with difficulties such as loss of supply chain.
　　Because of the shortage of raw materials， labor and capital， it is hard for the SMEs to restart normal operation. On the other hand， except for medical supplies and necessities， consumption of many other goods and services has paused， making an impact on relevant industries. Therefore， social insurance contributions and payments to the housing provident fund were likely to bring heavy pressure on SMEs. In recent years， the SMEs have been facing financing difficulties. The Central Government’s decision is a positive step to help them get through the hard time. 　　Today， the SMEs are not only crucial for stable employment but also the new momentum of economic growth. They play a significant role in promoting innovation， market growth and meeting people’s demands. So preferential policies for these enterprises are actually a step to stimulate the economic vitality.

Signs of Recovery

　　The Beijing News February 21
　　China’s tourism sector has been hit hard by the novel coronavirus outbreak. Fortunately， tourist attractions such as the West Lake in Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province in east China have announced their reopening in an orderly manner. Visitors are asked to wear face masks， accept temperature monitoring and avoid crowding.
　　However， some people have concerns about the reopening due to requirements of epidemic prevention and control.
　　Based on the current situation， the reopening of parts of tourist attractions does not run counter to the epidemic prevention and control. According to recent data， except Hubei Province in central China， many places have seen a decline in new cases， indicating the risk of the spread of the disease has reduced.
　　Although they are not a basic daily necessity， scenic spots can have a positive effect on people who have experienced a long quarantine. These public sites can provide an outdoor venue for them to relax and exercise. Moreover， small tourist agencies and shops in tourist attraction areas are hoping that business will return to normal soon.
　　It should be emphasized that decisions should be made flexibly according to the changes in the risk level. Taking the West Lake as an example， its reopening is a result of the adjustments in epidemic prevention. In addition， prevention measures such as temperature monitoring and crowd control need to remain in place in near future.

An Integrated Prescription

　　People’s Daily February 21
　　In treating patients infected with the novel coronavirus， the integration of Western and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has delivered some positive results with the joint efforts of medical personnel from the two fi elds.
　　For instance， a total of 23 patients receiving integrated treatment were cured and discharged from the Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine and the Wuhan Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine on February 6.
　　Some TCM prescriptions have proven to have signifi cant anti-fever and anti-infl ammatory effects. At the same time， TCM can regulate people’s immune system and enhance its defense. 　　For patients， the combination of Western medicine and TCM has been effective in shortening the treatment course and improving recovery. It helps inhibit the release of infl ammatory factors， stabilize the blood oxygen saturation and reduce the need for antibiotics. In the process of recovery， people who continue taking TCM can have better restoration of damaged organs and tissues. In particular， those with low immunity after discharge should continue some follow-up treatment of integrated Western medicine and TCM.
　　In order to improve the medical treatment efficiency and recovery rate， it is necessary to adopt an integrated treatment.

‘TIANJIN HOLMES’ PROMOTED

　　Zhang Ying has been promoted as deputy director of Tianjin Center of Disease Control and Prevention. Zhang attended a press conference held on February 22 in her new capacity and answered questions related to people’s concerns. Tianjin Municipality in north China has unveiled policies to deploy offi cials who have shown outstanding performance in epidemic prevention and control.
　　Zhang was dubbed “Tianjin Holmes” on Chinese social media for her understanding of the epidemic situation and logical explanation for a cluster of novel coronavirus infection cases in a local department store in Tianjin at a press conference on February 2.
　　Zhang， 50， graduated from Tianjin Medical University in 1994 and earned a Master of Public Health degree from the Chinese Center of Disease Control and Prevention in 2007. As an expert in this field， her major work focuses on surveillance， reporting and analysis， and training and publicity about infectious diseases. She has participated in field investigation and epidemic handling for many national health projects.
　　“With the strong measures taken by the Central Government and the joint efforts made by medics across the country， we’re confident that the epidemic will be basically under control by the end of April.”
　　Zhong Nanshan， renowned Chinese respiratory specialist， at a press conference in Guangzhou， Guangdong Province in south China， on February 27
　　“The draft decision to better protect wildlife by the top legislature， which provides a legal guarantee for the epidemic control， is encouraging because the wildlife industry in China has posed a major danger to public health.”
　　Ouyang Xiadan， an anchor with China Central Television， talking about the decision to ban illegal wildlife trade and eliminate the habit of eating wild animals adopted at the bimonthly session of the National People’s Congress Standing Committee on February 24
　　“The first phase of a trade deal did not change the strategic tension between China and the U.S.， which has affected their cooperation on the epidemic. However， the American people including medical experts have still provided much support to the Chinese.”
　　He Weiwen， senior fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies at Renmin University and a former trade diplomat， on February 25
　　“If some fail， if some do not do everything that is needed， this disease can still become out of control with dramatic consequences in global health and economy.”
　　António Guterres， Secretary General of the United Nations， releasing a warning about the spreading COVID-19 at the WHO headquarters in Geneva on February 24