CNS:
You just explained that centrally administered SOEs are providing many basic guarantees for epidemic prevention and control. Could you please describe some specific measures taken by relevant industries? Thank you.
Ren Hongbin:
Thank you for your question. When an epidemic breaks out, a command is issued. It is our responsibility to prevent and control it. As soon as the CPC Central Committee and the State Council made arrangements for the prevention and control of the epidemic, the Party Committee of SASAC immediately made relevant deployments and mobilized basic public supply enterprises to organize production in an orderly manner. We ensure non-stop oil, gas, power and heat supplies and keep telecommunications service available while avoiding price surges. Relevant enterprises quickly activated the emergency response mechanism and began making all-out efforts to ensure the supply of basic guarantees. This effort has played an important role at a critical moment and reflected the sense of responsibility of the "national team."
In terms of oil and gas supply, major petroleum and petrochemical enterprises coordinated supply channels and quickly allotted oil and gas resources to provide 24-hour non-stop service for Hubei consumers, ensuring a stable supply of energy in the province.
In terms of power supply, major electricity enterprises have maintained high-level operation. Currently, nearly 20,000 workers from those enterprises are fighting the epidemic on the front lines in Hubei by providing power supply, technical and maintenance support, emergency power vehicles and generators for fever clinics at designated hospitals and enterprises producing epidemic prevention materials. SGCC has adopted measures such as "never cutting power supply for clients in arrears" on the front lines of epidemic prevention and control to ensure no power supply problems impede the fight against the epidemic.
In terms of telecommunications service, major telecommunications enterprises adopted special measures to avoid or delay service shutoff for users with overdue bills. In addition, they dispatched tens of thousands of emergency support personnel to ensure the smooth operation of base stations in Hubei Province. Various resources have been coordinated to fully support construction of key anti-epidemic projects. For instance, China Telecom successfully built a 5G remote telemedicine system linking Chinese PLA General Hospital to Huoshenshan Hospital in Wuhan in only 12 hours. China Unicom and China Mobile have also launched 5G intelligent medical service platforms to assist medical staff make shift handovers safely and conveniently and facilitate mobile medical ward rounds and remote meetings.
In terms of transportation, airline companies have operated a total of 159 charter flights to Hubei and more will be sent soon. This helped transport 875.3 tons of epidemic prevention materials and 17,840 medical workers. For example, on January 24, Chinese New Year’s Eve, after receiving its first mission of charter flight to Wuhan, China Eastern Airlines completed emergency coordination in only half an hour and safely transported 136 medical workers from Shanghai to Wuhan.
In terms of daily necessities supply, major grain and oil enterprises such as COFCO Corporation, China Grain Reserves Group and China Resources Group have made every effort to ensure sufficient and stable supply of food products in Hubei including rice, flour, edible oil, sugar, meat and milk. They are also working to ensure that prices do not rise, quality does not fall, and supply does not stop during the epidemic, playing an important role in maintaining market stability.
As I mentioned, the grain stored at the Hubei branch of China Grain Reserves Group could meet the demand of more than 60 million people in Hubei for at least six months. At present, centrally administered SOEs responsible for basic guarantees have taken active measures and made all-out efforts to ensure material supplies in Wuhan and other places in Hubei Province. Thank you.
