Speakers:
Ren Hongbin, vice chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC)
Peng Huagang, secretary-general and spokesperson of SASAC
Zhao Shitang, deputy secretary-general and spokesperson of SASAC
Xia Qingfeng, head of the SASAC Department of Publicity and spokesperson of SASAC
Chairperson:
Hu Kaihong, spokesperson of the State Council Information Office
Date:
Feb. 18, 2020
Hu Kaihong:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Welcome to this press conference organized by the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of the State Council. We have invited Mr. Ren Hongbin, vice chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), Mr. Peng Huagang, secretary-general and spokesperson of SASAC, Mr. Zhao Shitang, deputy secretary-general and spokesperson of SASAC, and Mr. Xia Qingfeng, head of the SASAC Department of Publicity and spokesperson of SASAC. They will explain measures taken by centrally administered SOEs to support the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic. They will also take questions.
First, I will give the floor to Mr. Ren.
Ren Hongbin:
Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to friends from the media for their long-term concern and support for centrally administered SOEs.
Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, the Party Committee of SASAC has firmly implemented important instructions given by General Secretary Xi Jinping and acted on decisions made by the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and the State Council. Currently, SASAC has placed top priority on epidemic prevention and control and is mobilizing all personnel and resources as a part of all-out efforts to guide centrally administered SOEs in curbing the outbreak. Following the call of the CPC Central Committee, centrally administered SOEs have become devoted to epidemic prevention and control on the front lines, regardless of cost and without any reservation. They play a central role as the "national team" in supporting the fight against the epidemic.
First, we are supporting epidemic control through comprehensively strengthening basic guarantees. Centrally administered SOEs in key industries and sectors such as petroleum, petrochemicals, power, telecommunications, grain and oil, and air transport are sparing no effort to guarantee the supply of basic products and services, playing a significant role in supporting epidemic control and ensuring the supply of daily necessities. Petrochemical enterprises have coordinated supply channels to transfer oil and gas resources to the most affected regions. Thousands of workers from those enterprises are striving to ensure non-stop service around the clock for consumers in Hubei Province. The State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) has completed 163 key supplementary electricity supply projects in Hubei, and nearly 20,000 workers in power plants are fighting bravely on the front lines of epidemic prevention and control every day. Telecommunications enterprises have dispatched 14,437 vehicles for emergency missions and built 257 base stations to ensure smooth operation of the networks in Hubei. Centrally administered SOEs had pledged never to cut power or gas supplies or halt telecom service for clients in arrears during the outbreak. Airline companies have operated 159 charter flights to Hubei, delivering 875 tons of medical supplies and 17,840 medical workers to the province. Grain and oil enterprises are making all-out efforts to ensure goods supply. COFCO Corporation alone provides an average of more than 200 tons of rice to Wuhan each day. The inventory stock of the Hubei branch of China Grain Reserves Group can meet the demand of 60 million residents in the province for at least six months.
Second, we are supporting epidemic control through efficient construction of specialized hospitals. Centrally administered SOEs have undertaken the missions to design, construct and renovate more than 100 specialized hospitals around China. China IPPR International Engineering Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China National Machinery Corporation (Sinomach), revised and improved the blueprint of Xiaotangshan Hospital as quickly as possible and provided technical support in a timely manner. China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd. (CSCEC) mobilized and organized more than 20,000 management and construction personnel to work day and night on the construction sites. Thanks to full support from enterprises in sectors like electricity, petroleum and telecommunications, Huoshenshan and Leishenshan hospitals in Wuhan were completed as scheduled. Moreover, 13 centrally administered SOEs have sent more than 500 medical workers from their hospitals to Hubei. In total, nearly 10,000 medical workers from hospitals under centrally administered SOEs are fighting the epidemic on the front lines. All medical institutions of centrally administered SOEs in Hubei have been designated as fever clinics or hospitals to handle suspected cases.
