Coronavirus outbreak halts meeting of top China economists under Vice-Premier Liu He
- The Economists 50 Forum, which includes China’s most prominent financial experts, has suspended its yearly gathering and urged members to take care
- Meeting’s indefinite postponement underlines the disruptive impact that coronavirus is having on economic and social activities in China
An annual gathering of prominent Chinese economists led by Vice-Premier Liu He has been postponed indefinitely amid the deadly coronavirus outbreak, organisers said on Sunday.
The Chinese Economists 50 Forum, which includes heavyweight members such as Chinese central bank governor Yi Gang and banking and insurance regulatory commission chairman Guo Shuqing, was expected to have its yearly meeting on February 16 in the capital Beijing.
Liu attended the annual conference in 2018 but he did not show up last year.
The meeting, which is open to the media, offers a rare chance for the Chinese public to peer into top-level policy debate.
Confirmed cases have now hit record daily highs, health officials said, and the virus has killed at least 304 people and infected at least 14,380 in mainland China.
A 44-year-old Chinese man from Wuhan died in the Philippines on Saturday after developing severe pneumonia, according to health officials from the country.
The man arrived in the Southeast Asian nation on January 21. He was the companion of a 38-year-old Chinese woman, who arrived from Wuhan after travelling through Hong Kong, Philippines Health Secretary Francisco Duque said at a televised briefing in Manila.
