According to Reuters, on Wednesday, United States President Donald Trump said he believed that China is trying to make him lose his reelection bid.
In the interview, he said that China’s handling of the virus was proof that they “will do anything they can” to prevent his reelection. When later asked about the consequences China might face for the virus, Trump said, “I can do a lot.”
The US remains the worst-hit nation in the world with 1,064,194 recorded cases and 61,656 deaths as of April 29, although the true figure for both is believed to be significantly higher. The American economy also shrank by 4.8% in the first quarter of 2020, marking the largest decrease since the 2008 recession.
Coronavirus in China
Mainland China has largely contained the pandemic within its borders. Most cases of the virus that appear within the country now are reportedly imported from outside China.
China’s apparent success at eradicating the virus among its population has led to a gradual easing of lockdown regulations as well as the resumption of business operations around the nation.
In a show of confidence that they’ve successfully eliminated the virus from their borders, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Wuhan, China – the epicenter of the outbreak – in early March.
The Chinese economy shrank in the first quarter of the year for the first time since 1992, with gross domestic product dropping by nearly 7%.
China proceeds with the most significant political event of the year
According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese Congress is scheduled to open its annual session of the National People’s Congress (NPC) on May 22. This session draws several thousand delegates from around the country for around 10 days.
The meeting was initially scheduled to proceed on March 5 but the government postponed it, reportedly for the first time since the 1970s. Even during the 2003 SARS outbreak, the event proceeded as planned.
The annual meeting marks the most important event on China’s political calendar and is an opportunity for party leaders to be appointed, new economic and political targets to be announced and votes on major legislation to take place.
This year’s session is likely to focus on ending rural poverty, a commitment crucial to Xi’s political legacy.
In response to the news that China would go forward with the annual meeting on May 22, Willy Lam, an expert in Beijing politics at the Chinese University in Hong Kong, said, “This is a symbolic event, showing China has won the war.”
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