Xi Jinping lauds China’s post-coronavirus economic growth in New Year’s message

Name: Xi Jinping honours national efforts against Covid-19 pandemic in New Year speech
Uploaded: 2020-12-31T13:42:57.000Z
Duration: 1 min 30 s
Description: Xi Jinping honours national efforts against Covid-19 pandemic in New Year speech

President highlights Communist Party’s centenary on July 1, calling the organisation the hope of the nation

But no mention of challenges ahead as criticism of the country grows on various fronts

Reading Time:2 minutes

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Chinese President Xi Jinping delivers a New Year address on Thursday evening. Photo: Xinhua

Jun Maiin Beijing

Published: 9:42pm, 31 Dec 2020Updated: 5:32pm, 15 Apr 2022

Chinese President Xi Jinping singled out the country’s economic growth in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic in his annual New Year’s television speech on Thursday night.

But there was no mention of the challenges to China’s global ambitions, including international criticism of its initial handling of the pandemic.

“We overcame the impact of the pandemic and have achieved great success in disease control as well as social and economic development,” he said from his study in Zhongnanhai, the walled compound where top leaders live.

“Our country is the first major economy to achieve growth, and expected to reach the annual GDP of more than 100 trillion yuan (about US$15.3 trillion).”

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Xi Jinping honours national efforts against Covid-19 pandemic in New Year speech

He thanked China’s doctors, soldiers, scientists and community workers for their efforts to contain the coronavirus, saying he was “proud of my motherland and the Chinese people”.