(Fighting New Coronary Pneumonia) President of the IMF: The epidemic has a relatively small and transient impact on the world economy
China News Agency, Washington, February 22th. Riyadh news: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) President Georgiyeva said in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on the 22nd local time that the IMF supports China's measures to combat the new crown pneumonia epidemic. The impact of the world economy will be relatively "small and short."
On the same day, Georgyeva issued a statement at the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors' Meeting in Riyadh, saying that since the outbreak, the Chinese government is adopting crisis management measures, liquidity supply, and fiscal measures. And financial support to reduce the negative impact of the epidemic on the economy. The IMF supports these policy measures.
Georgieva said that according to the current baseline situation, the announced policies have been implemented, and the Chinese economy will return to normal in the second quarter. As a result, the impact of the epidemic on the world economy will be relatively "small and short." It is estimated that China's economic growth rate will reach 5.6% in 2020, 0.4 percentage points lower than expected in the updated version of the IMF's World Economic Outlook Report in January this year, and the global economic growth rate will be reduced by 0.1 percentage point to 3.2%.
Georgieva also said that the World Health Organization's assessment shows that the spread of the new crown pneumonia epidemic in China and the world can be controlled through strict and coordinated measures. At present, the IMF is still studying the complexity of virus transmission, and there are still many uncertain factors, such as when the epidemic situation can be completely controlled, and when the economies affected by the epidemic can return to normal, etc. will affect the forecast.
Georgieva emphasized that global cooperation is essential to curb the epidemic and its economic impact, especially in the context of a longer-lasting and broader epidemic, where countries with weak health systems are more vulnerable. The IMF is now ready to provide debt relief assistance to the poorest and most vulnerable member states. (Finish)