President Xi Jinping speaks during the G20 Extraordinary Leaders' Summit on COVID-19. In Beijing, on March 26, 2020. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Wednesday chaired a leadership meeting to make new arrangements on implementing regular epidemic prevention and control measures and fully advancing work resumption.

Xi said new difficulties and challenges have emerged for China's work resumption and economic and social development

The meeting of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee analyzed the COVID-19 situation and economic performance at home and abroad. 

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As the pandemic continues its global spread, the world economy faces mounting downside risk, Xi said, adding that unstable and uncertain factors are notably increasing.

Noting that China is under rising pressure of guarding against imported COVID-19 cases, Xi said new difficulties and challenges have emerged for China's work resumption and economic and social development.

Xi called for preparedness in mind and work to cope with prolonged external environment changes.

Xi urged unremitting efforts in guarding against imported cases from abroad and preventing a resurgence of the outbreak at home and demanded redoubling efforts in economic and social development.

He required Hubei province and its capital city of Wuhan to continue focusing on treating severe cases while visiting discharged patients to check their health conditions

He urged efforts to minimize losses caused by COVID-19.

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Xi stressed paying close attention to the changes in the epidemic situation at home and abroad, calling for a prompt response that is more targeted and effective.

He required Hubei province and its capital city of Wuhan to continue focusing on treating severe cases while visiting discharged patients to check their health conditions. Community-level containment measures should also be optimized.

Other parts of China, especially provinces near Hubei, should step up information sharing and containment coordination, Xi said, adding that containment efforts in Beijing should be maintained.

He ordered targeted management of asymptomatic cases to fix all loopholes that might lead to a rebound of the outbreak.