China to further ensure supply of necessities and energy, stabilize prices

Beijing: China will take further steps to guarantee the supply of staple goods and energy and keep their prices stable, in a bid to bolster production and people’s lives, according to a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday.

These steps will help maintain sufficient market supply during the Spring Festival, and meet the people’s demand for medical products and winter heating, the meeting said.

To stabilize the prices of staple goods including food, the country will closely monitor and replenish market supply and step up grain production, said the meeting.

Efforts should be made to support the operation of energy companies and manufacturers of medical products and anti-epidemic goods, as well as to maintain smooth logistics nationwide, especially during the Spring Festival, it said.

The country will provide people in need with provisional price subsidies in a timely manner, ramp up oversight of market prices and crack down on price gouging and hoarding, according to the meeting.

The meeting also stressed due preparations to make this year’s Spring Festival a satisfying one for the public.

China will protect the legitimate rights and interests of migrant workers and make sure they receive their wages in full. It will also provide temporary relief to help those in COVID-induced or other difficulties, the meeting said.

Production safety should be strengthened to prevent serious accidents, while transportation, energy, communication and other infrastructure should function safely even in extreme weather conditions, according to the meeting.