China Pushes Economic Recovery to Meet CPC Goals

As the peak of the COVID-19 epidemic passes in China, there are signs that pre-crisis Communist Party goals are playing a part in the push to get back to work. Despite an expected double-digit drop in first-quarter growth rates, party and government leaders have repeatedly pressed officials to meet China's longstanding socio-economic goals for this year.

On the economic side, President Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), has insisted on fulfilling the CPC targets of doubling the country's 2010 gross domestic product and per capita GDP by the end of 2020, in spite of the COVID-19 setback. The goal of creating a "moderately prosperous society" by eliminating poverty in time for next year's CPC centenary has also figured prominently in official statements on spurring China's economic recovery.

"As the COVID-19 epidemic has had an impact on China's economic and social development, the CPC is making all-out efforts to resume work and production ... and continue poverty alleviation work in order to realize the development goals and tasks for this year," said an official commentary on disciplining under-performing officials in late February.

"There is no room for hesitancy or inaction," it said.

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