OpportunitiesandChallengesforDigitalEconomyinPost-COVID-19Era_GuangmingOnlineAchimWambach:PresidentoftheZEW-LeibnizCentreforEuropeanEconomicResearch;ProfessorofUniversityofMannheim;FormerChairmanoftheMonopoliesCommission,GermanyFengXiaohu:ProfessoranddoctoralsupervisorofUniversityofInternationalBusinessandEconomics(UIBE);DoctoralSupervisorofHumboldtUniversityofBerlin;PresidentofResearchAcademyChengdu,UIBE;DirectorofSino-GermanEconomicandTradeResearchCenter,AcademyofChinaOpenEconomyStudiesXiaoLianbing:Secretary-GeneraloftheCenterforInternationalExchange,CooperationandCommunication,GuangmingDailyAtthebeginningofthecrisis,wesawsucharegressiontounilateralismXiao:DearProfessorWambachandProfessorFeng,asweallknow,thenumberofconfirmedcasesofCOVID-19worldwidehasexceeded100million.Oneyearhaspassed,andthepandemichasnotyetended.What’syouropiniononthesituationandimpactoftheCOVID-19pandemic?Wambach:AstheCOVID-19pandemichasseverelyaffectedtheglobaleconomy,WeareexperiencingthedeepesteconomicrecessionsinceWorldWarII.Governmentsaroundtheworldhavequicklyadoptedaseriesoflarge-scaleeconomicstabilizationandstimulusmeasurestohelpusregaineconomicrecovery,andourfurthermeasurestodealwiththispandemicwilldeterminewhethertherecoveryisstable.Unfortunately,especiallyatthebeginningofthecrisis,wehaveseencertaincountriesregresstounilateralstrategies,establishtradebarriersandemphasizedomesticsupply.Europehasnowregainedafirmfootingandiscoordinatingresponsetothevirus,vaccinatingthepopulationandpurchasingmedicalequipmentjointly.Ithinkpoliticiansarelearningthelessonsofsupplychaindisruptionscausedbypandemic,andwhatweneednowisopentradebordersandbroaderdiversification,notdelinkingfromothermarkets.Feng:IwasinGermanywhenthepandemicstarted.Atthattime,manypeopleinGermanyqueriedaboutthenecessityofcuttingoffWuhanfromtherestoftheworld.Ofcourse,theyalsodonatedalargequantityofmedicalsuppliestoChina.Duringtheentireperiodofthepandemic,Germany'sattitudetowardsChinawasrelativelyfriendlyonthewhole,andGermanydidabetterjobinrespondingtothefirstwaveofthepandemic.However,I’mappalledbytheideologizationofthepandemicinAmericanpoliticalsystem.WhilesomeAmericansviewwearingmasksasapoliticalsymbol,IunderstoodthatthepandemicintheUnitedStatescouldnolongerbecontrolled.ThoughEUcountriesaregenerallymorerational,theycannotsurpassthemselveseither.Theimpactofthepandemicontheeconomyisobvious.BillGatessaidthattheeconomycannotberestartedunlessthepandemicisundercontrol.However,theTrumpadministrationdeniedthissimpletruth,andGateshasbeencriticizedasapublicenemy,whichmademeconfusedandspeechless.ThedevelopmentofthepandemicnowprovesthatGatesisright.Xiao:WhatisyourcommentonthemeasurestakenbyChina,EuropeandtheUnitedStatestopreventandcontrolthepandemic?Wambach:Chinahasachievedgreatsuccessinpreventingthespreadofthevirus.OnereasonforEurope’srelativelydifficultresponseisitslackofexperienceindealingwithlarge-scalepandemics.IthinkEuropewillbebetterpreparednexttime.Furthermore,differentattitudestowardsindividualrightsalsoaccountforpartofthereason.Forexample,dataprotectionishighlyvaluedinEurope,sotrackingapplicationsarenotfullyfunctional.Takingschooleducationasanotherexample,ifthereisnoguaranteethatstudentphotoswillnotbeleakedtotheInternet,videoteachingwillnotbeconducted,thereforethegovernmentcanonlytrytoavoidclosingschools.TheGermanstandardisthatanyinterventioninpersonallifeneedstomeetthenecessityandappropriateness.Ifthereisdoubt,itisusuallynotthepoliticiansbutthejudgeswhomakethefinaldecision,andmanymeasuresofthelocalgovernmentwillberejectedbythecourt.Feng:ProfessorWambach’sopinionhitsthepoint.IthinktherearethreemainreasonswhyEuropeancountrieshavenotrespondedwelltothesecondwaveofthepandemic.Firstly,afterEuropehasenteredmodernization,ithasputmoreemphasisonindividualrightsandinterests,whileAsiancultures,withChinesecultureasbackbone,havegenerallygivenprioritytocollectivism.Duringthepandemic,theChinesegovernmentcalledonpeoplenottogooutandusebigdatatofightagainstthepandemic,andthepublicwereverycooperative.AlthoughmostpeopleinEuropealsocooperate,aconsiderablenumberofpeopleputpersonalfreedominthefirstplace,andbecausetheirvoicesaretooloud,theyweremorefrequentlyreportedinthenews,thusobscuringthefocusonfightingagainstthepandemic.ImmanuelKant’sdefinitionoffreeboundaryis“nottointerferewiththeinterestsofothers”.However,goingoutwithoutamaskwhenthepandemicissevereobviouslydeviatesfromthisdefinition.UntilNewYear'sDayof2021,althoughtheGermangovernmenthadtoissuealockdownorder,itwascompletelyincomparablewiththelockdownofWuhan.Inthefirstwaveofthepandemic,Germanyalsolaunchedapersonaltrackingappafterfiercecontroversy,butitsusewasnotcompulsory,andeventuallyitwasabandonedduetolowusage.Therefore,inhigh-techGermany,trackingpeopleintorestaurantsorcinemasreliesonpaperregisters,whicharealmostuselessbecausemanypeoplefillinfalseinformation.Secondly,franklyspeaking,thesystemsofgovernmentandpoliticalpartiesinEuropeandAmericahavecausedgreatdifficultiesinfightingagainstthepandemic.WhenthepandemichitNewYork,PresidentTrump(Republican)wantedtosendtroopsintoNewYork,buttheMayorofNewYork(Democrat)saidthiswasadeclarationofwaronNewYork!DifferentpoliticalpartieshavedifferentviewsonthefightagainstthepandemicintheUS.AllRepublicangovernorssupportedwhatPresidentDonaldTrumpsaid,whilealldemocraticgovernorsopposedit,creatingastrongsensetousthatpartisaninterestswereoverridingthefightagainstthepandemic.Duringthepandemic,manyofficialsinChinawereheldaccountableorevenremovedfromtheirpositions,whilefewinEuropeandtheUSwerepunishedonlybecausetheywere"popularlyelected"andcanonlystepdownwhentheirtermsofofficeexpireaccordingtothelaw.Thirdly,ProfessorWambachmentionedthat“iftherearedoubts,itisusuallynotthepoliticianbutthejudgewhomakesthefinaldecision”.Thisisalsooneofthebigpuzzlesthatthispandemichasbroughtme.UsuallyEuropeandAmericabelievethattheirownsystemofseparationofthreepowersisconduciveto"closingpowerintoacage."However,duringtheseverepandemic,EuropeanandAmericanadministrativeofficials'anti-pandemicdecisionsarenotonlyhinderedbypartisandisputes,butalsooftenrejectedbythejudiciary.Intheend,it’sasifthejudgemadetheadministrativeandmedicaldecisions,andofcoursethecorrectnessofthatwillbecalledintoquestion.Xiao:Whileseeingthecrisisbroughtaboutbythepandemictohumansociety,willyoualsodiscoverthedevelopmentopportunitiesarisingfromtheresponsetothepandemic?Wambach:Digitizationenablesustobetterrespondtocrises.Imagineifthiscrisishadoccurred20yearsago,videoconferencing,workingfromhome,onlineshopping,etc.wouldn’thavebeenpossible.Astudyconductedbyourresearchinstituteshowedthatinthefinancialcrisisof2009,companieswithahigherdegreeofdigitalizationwerebetterabletocopewiththecrisis.Ithinkthesameistrueforhandlingthecurrentcrisis.Thiscrisiswillalsohelpovercomeobstaclesthatwerepreviouslyinsurmountable.TelemedicineinGermanyisagoodexample.Beforethecrisis,videoconsultationwasbannedinGermany,butnowitisfairlycommon.Inaddition,aspecialadvancementisthatthecrisishasevenpushedsmallshopstogodigital.Afterthelockdownofthecity,nocustomerscametothestore,andthestoreeitherofferedgoodsonlineorclosed.Feng:Whenthereisacrisis,thereisanopportunity,andahugecrisisisusuallyaccompaniedbyagreatopportunity.Theopportunitybroughtbythispandemicistherapidadvancementofthedigital(online)economy.Amongthetop10inthe“Globaltop100companies2020”releasedbyPwC,fromsecondtoeighthareMicrosoft,Apple,Amazon,Google,Alibaba,Facebook,andTencent,withsevencompaniesrelatedtothedigitaleconomy.Themostimpressiveexperienceconcerningdigitizationformepersonallyisonlineteaching.AfterIreturnedtoChinainFebruary2020,Iused"TencentMeeting"toteachremotelyduringhomequarantine,andIbecamealoyalusersincethen.ThepowerofChina'sdigitallifeisclearlyvisibleinthispandemic.NowalmostallChineseuniversitiescanswitchfromofflineteachingtoonlineteachingwithinadaybasedontheanti-pandemicsituation,andtheteachingexperiencewithmostcoursesarerelativelygoodandsatisfying.MostofmycoursesforthetwosemestersfromMarchtoDecember2020aretaughtonline,Andnowmanyacademicconferencesareheldonline,includingthelaunchoftheChineseversionofProfessorWambach’snewbook,"UneasyChange:MarketCompetitionandPublicWelfareintheDigitalAge",andreceivedverysatisfactoryresults.Accordingtomyexperience,intermsofdigitalapplications,EuropedoeslagbehindChinainmanyaspects.NowmanyEuropeancountriesarefollowingtheUnitedStatesinrejecting5Gtechnologyandevenbanning5GcompaniesfromChina.AsascholarfamiliarwithEurope,Ithinkitiscompletelyincomprehensible.Fortunately,Germanyhaskeptaclearmindinthisregardandhasalwaysadvocatednotrejectinganycompanytoparticipateinthe5Gconstructioncompetitiononthebasisofensuringnationalsecurity.DigitalizationbringshugebenefitsbutalsorisksXiao:TheChineseversionofthebook"UneasyChange:MarketCompetitionandPublicWelfareintheDigitalAge"writtenbyProfessorWambachwaspublishedinChinaattheendof2020.Whyisthedigitaleconomycalledanuneasychange?Wambach:Digitalizationhasbroughthugebenefitsbutalsorisks.Inaveryshortperiodoftime,internetgiantshaveemergedallovertheworld,dominatingtheentireeconomicsector,moreandmorejobsarebeingautomated,andthereisawideninggapbetweendigitalbeneficiariesandnon-beneficiariesinsociety.Therefore,policymakersmustactivelyparticipateinshapingthechangingsocialstructuresothateveryonecankeepupwiththepaceofdigitalization.Therefore,mybookistitled"UneasyChange:MarketCompetitionandPublicWelfareintheDigitalAge".Takethethemeofworkforexample:digitalizationisrealizingjobautomation.Somestudiesbelievethatdigitizationwilleliminatealmosthalfoftheexistingworktypes.Myresearchinstitutehasspeciallyresearchedandanalyzedwhichjobsmaybereplacedbyautomation,andfoundthatonlyabout10%ofjobswouldbeautomatedformosttasks,andthosejobswouldprobablydisappearinthefuture.Sometasksinotherjobsmaybeautomated,butmostwon't,sothosejobswillremain,buttheirfocuswillchange.Therefore,digitizationwillonlychangeourwork,noteliminatesourwork.Employersmustensurethatworkerscanacceptandparticipateinthischange.Consequently,continuingeducationwillbecomemoreandmoresignificant.Feng:ThisviewofProfessorWambachisveryimportant.JustbecauseeconomicdigitizationisvitalforChina,itshealthydevelopmenthasalwaysbeenaconcernoftheChinesegovernment.ThenewbookbyProfessorWambachhasalsoreceivedspecialattentioninChina.KarlMarxsaidthattheessenceofcapitalisprofit.Theessenceofmonopolyismonopolyprofit,andmonopolyprofitmustleadtostiflinginnovation.TherearenoexceptionsinancientandmodernChinaandabroad.However,thefoundationofthedigitaleconomyhappenstobeinnovation,andthesecretofChina'srapiddigitaleconomyisboldinnovation.Fromthisperspective,itisundoubtedlyacorrectdecisionforChineseregulatoryauthoritiestostopinternetgiantsfromenteringthecommunitytosellvegetables.AdamSmith's"TheWealthofNations"believesthatmonopolyis"pricemonopoly",thatis,acompanywilldefinitelypursuethehighestpriceafterobtainingamonopolyposition.Thisviewhaslongbeenconsideredcorrect.Afterenteringthe21stcentury,hugechangeshavetakenplaceineconomicpatterns,andpricemonopolyhasevolvedintoplatformmonopoly,withthegoalofmonopolizingusers'personaldata.Thestrategyofplatformmonopolystartswith“free"offers,buttheinternetdoesnothavefreeproducts.Iftheproductisfree,thenyouaretheproduct.Theupgradeofplatformmonopolyistomonopolizeallplatforms.Thelatestformofmonopolyistheattentionmonopoly,anupgradedversionofthe"eyeballeconomy".Itcanobtainusers'personaldatabywinningtheirattention,andthencontinuouslydigdeeptocreatesupervaluewealth.AtypicalexampleislikesinWeChatMoments.“Likes”representsocialrecognition,whichwillreleasedopaminefromthebrainandgiveusersasenseofpleasure.It'salmost"socialdeath"nottoclick"like"inWeChatMoments.Butwhatmobilesphonesusersdon’tknowisthatlikesandreadingtendencieswillexposeyour“attentionpreferences”,allowinginternetcompaniestotrackandevalsuateyourpreferences,soastotargettailor-madearticlesandpictures.Thisisthe“platformknowsyoubetter".TheendresultmaybethatifyoujustwanttotraveltotheMaldives,andyouhavenotsearchedonyourphonesatall,butMaldivestraveladvertisementskeeppoppingup.SomepeoplecallittheInternetofBehavior(IoB),acarnivaloffacialrecognition,locationstracking,andbigdata.Thisisthe"eyeballeconomy2.0".Itissaidthatby2025,morethanhalfoftheworld'spopulationwillparticipateinatleastoneIoBprogramandbecomethepreyofadvancedartificialintelligenceandalgorithms.Itcanbesaidthatiftherearenorestrictions,theprofitgoalsofallcompanieswillautomaticallyleadtomonopoly.Atthattime,theonlythingsthatcanrestrictthesedatagiantsarethelawandthegovernment.Infact,governmentshavealreadyseenthis.Since2017,Googlehasfaced27investigationsinEuropeandAmerica,22inAmazonandApple,and13inFacebook.TheEuropeanUnionhasimposedantitrustpenaltiesonGoogleforthreeconsecutiveyears,withacumulativeamountof$9.6billion.InNovember2020,theChinesegovernmentlaunchedthe"GuidelinesforAnti-monopolyintheFieldofPlatformEconomy(DraftforSolicitationofComments)",whichfullydemonstratedthedeterminationandcourageoftheChinesegovernment.Intermsofanti-monopoly,Germanyhastakenthelead.Germany’seconomicmiracleafterWorldWarIIwaspraisedbytheworld,whichwasledbyLudwigErhard,MinisterofEconomybackthenandlaterthesecondchancelloroftheFederalRepublicofGermany.AndoneofthemostimportanteconomicinstitutionallegaciesthatErhardlefttotheGermaneconomyistheFederalCartelOffice(Anti-monopolyAgency).TogetherwithDeutscheBank,anotherofErhard’simportantlegacies,DeutscheBank,thisregulatoryagencystillguardsthehealthydevelopmentoftheGermaneconomy.InChina'snewroundofmoreambitiousreformandopeningup,ChinaandGermanyareundoubtedlythetwomajorcountriesintheworldthatshouldstrengthenexchangesandcooperationinthefieldofanti-monopoly.Xiao:Indeed,afterWorldWarII,thesocialmarketeconomytheoryplayedanimportantguidingroleintheeconomicandsocialdevelopmentofGermany.Inthedigitaleconomy,whataretheconstantsandchangesofsocialmarketeconomytheory?WhatmeasureshasGermanytakeninanti-monopolyinthedigitaleconomy?Wambach:Thefundamentalbasisofasocialmarketeconomyisfreecompetitionbetweencompanies.Companiesareresponsiblefortheiractions.Theyenjoyprofitsexclusively,buttheyalsohavetobearthelosses.Butintheinitialdigitalization,wesawthatmonopolycompaniescouldtakenoresponsibilitiesforthelossesoccurontheirplatforms,becausetheyare"just"an"intermediary."Wethereforeneedtoformulatenewrulestobetteridentifytheproblemsofcompetitioninthedigitaleconomyandtobettercoordinateresponsibilitiesandobligations.Politiciansshouldactforthispurposeandthat’swhyGermanyreformeditsanti-competitivelaws.TheEuropeanCommissionrecentlyproposedthepromulgationofthe"DigitalMarketLaw"andthe"DigitalServicesLaw."Largeplatforms,so-called"intermediaries",willbesubjecttospecificrules.Inthisregard,Icansumitupinthreepoints.Oneistoformulaterulesforthedominantplatform.Largeplatformsdominatethemarketandplayanimportantroleincompetition.Rulesneedtobesettoguidetheirbehavior.Oneoftherulesistoprohibitself-interestedpreferences,whichisofgreatbenefittomaintainingcompetition.Theotheristoforcetheadoptionofalternativedisputeresolutionproceduresforillegalactivitiesontheplatform,whichhelpstobetterallocateresponsibilities.Thesecondistostandardizedataacquisition.Dataisthefoundationoftheprosperityofthedigitaleconomy.Theprosperousdevelopmentofbigdataapplicationsandartificialintelligenceisbasedonaccesstodata,andnewmarketscanbecreatedbyacquiringdata.Themethodofobtainingdataiseithertoallowthird-partyproviderstoaccessdigitaluseraccounts,ortoaccesspublicdatainaccordancewithrules.Ifthegovernmentallowsthemtoaccessmobilesdata,companiescanenterandprovidenewservices,suchasbettercontrolovertherentalofself-drivingcarsandbicycles.Thethirdistocreateacompetitiveenvironment.Rulesandregulationsmustensurethatothercompanieshaveaccesstothemarketaswell.Forexample,companiesneedtocooperateinordertosharedataorbuildprivateplatforms.However,itisnotclearfromthelawwhethersuchco-operationisfeasibleorillegal.Therefore,weneedtoanswernewlegalquestionsraisedbynewtypesofcooperationbetweencompaniesinthedigitalfield.Feng:InChina,internetplatformsinfringeontheprivacyofcustomerdataabound.Capitalinvasionofprivacyisunavoidable,becauseprofit-seekingisitsnature.Theexcuseoftheseinternetplatformsinthepastwas"Chinesepeoplearewillingtotradeprivacyforconvenience."Theunethicalbehavioroftheseinternetplatformswasrampantforawhilesincethelawsandregulationsdidnotclarifytheboundariesoftheplatforms’collectionanduseofcustomerdatainatimelymanner.Atpresent,theChinesegovernmenthasimplementeddrasticrectificationsonplatformsthatinfringeonusers’dataprivacy.Intheeraofdigitaleconomy,notonlyChina,butalsoEuropeanandAmericancountriesareallanti-monopoly,becausethisisanimportantmeasureofnationalgovernancenow.Theissueofcompetitioninthedigitaleconomyisnotjustonecountry’sissueXiao:Thedigitaleconomyisboomingallovertheworld.Howdoyoulookattheinternationalizationofthedigitaleconomyanditssubsequentimpact?Wambach:Thecompetitionissueofthedigitaleconomydoesnotonlyaffectacertaincountry,butaffectsalleconomiesintheworld.Allpartsoftheworldareactivelytakingmeasurestoaddresstheseproblems.Nevertheless,therearestillmanyproblemshavenotbeenresolved.Forexample,wheninternetgiantsacquirestart-upcompanies,whenisitharmfulandwhenisitharmless?Theso-called"killeracquisition"referstothefactthatadominantcompanyacquiresasmallcompanytocloseitdownandeliminatecompetitors.Howoftendoesthishappen?Whatkindofproblemswillarise?Perhapsthe"killeracquisitions"willpromptentrepreneurstoprioritizedoingbusinesswell.Whenthebusinessisbooming,theymaynotselltolargecompaniesbutcompete.Forexample,fordataaccess,whichdatainvolvestradesecretsandshouldbekeptsecretbythecompany?Whatdatashouldbemadeavailabletoeveryone?IthinkChinaandGermanycanlearnalotfromeachother,suchashowthemarketworks,whichregulatorymeasuresarepurpose-oriented,andsoon.Feng:Thegreaterdangerofmonopolyonthedigitaleconomycomesfrominternationalization.ThecriticismcausedbyAmazoninGermanyisaverydirectexample.Economicdigitizationhasmadecross-borderacquisitionsandoperationsoflargecompaniesmoreconvenient.Whilepromotingeconomicdevelopment,ithasincreasedtheimpulseandspeedofinternationalspeculativecapitaltoevaderegulationandchaseexcessiveprofits.Facedwithsuchpotentialthreats,asinglecountry,especiallyacountrywitharelativelyopeneconomicandfinancialsystem,maynotbeabletowithstandtheimpactoflargemultinationalcompanies.Therefore,internationalanti-monopolycooperationisparticularlyimportant.Ithinkthatthegovernmentsoftheworld'smajorpowerswillrecognizethatinternationalanti-monopolycooperationinthedigitaleconomyisnecessary.Attheendof2020,themaincontentofthe"China-EUInvestmentAgreement"negotiatedbetweenChinaandtheEUisrelatedtointernationalcooperationonglobalanti-monopoly.Xiao:WhatistheprospectofChina-EUdigitaleconomycooperation?Wambach:BothChinaandtheEuropeanUnionhavebenefitedalotfromeconomiccooperation,buttherehavebeensometwistsandturnsinrecentyears,partlybecauseofthedifferencesineconomicmodelsbetweenthetwosides.TheEuropeansinglemarketisbasedoncompetitionbetweencompanies,withChina'sstate-ownedenterprisesplayinganevenheavierrole.Forfurthercooperation,thesigningofinvestmentandtradeagreementsbetweenthetwopartiesshouldbefavorablyreceived,astheseagreementswillhelptoclarifytheconditionsforstateinterventionandtheareasinwhichcompaniescancompete.Feng:ProfessorWambachhastalkedaboutthebasicruleoftheGermansocialmarketeconomy:thegovernmentisonlythewatchmanofthenationaleconomy.Itintervenesonlywhenthemarketisonfire.Whenthefireisextinguished,itautomaticallyexitsandcannotoperateinthemarketasamarketentity.Buttheremaybemorethanonecorrectviewineconomicresearch.JudgingfromthecorporateactivitiesIhaveparticipatedininrecentyears,Chinesestate-ownedenterprisesusuallydonotputprofitfirst,andtheirmoreimportanttaskistoensuremarketstabilityandlaborstability.AnexampleIknow:aninternationalinsurancecompanyestablishedacompanytooperateagriculturalinsuranceinasouthernprovinceofChina.Later,alarge-scalenaturaldisasteroccurred.Thecompanyreallycouldn’tafforditandfiledforbankruptcywiththelocalgovernment.Thegovernmentdidnotallowit:youhavetopay,oryouwillhavenochancetodoanybusinessinthisprovincehenceforth.Intheend,thecompanyhadtotransferfundsfromtheheadquarterstocompensateandsufferedhugelossesthatyear.Somepeoplewouldsayit’sanoperationagainstthelawsofthemarketeconomy,butifweaskthosefarmers,theywilldefinitelysupportthegovernment100%.TheGermangovernmentisactuallydoingthesamething.Lufthansawashithardbythepandemic.TheGermangovernmentdidnotletitgobankrupt,butinvestedheavilyinrescue.TheChinesefullyunderstandthis.WhattheChinesecannotunderstandisthattheGermanoppositionpartyhasbeencriticizingtheGermangovernmentforpayinghugesumsofmoneyinexchangeforthecorrespondingholdingsto"nationalize"Lufthansa.Atthisspecialmomentoftheglobalpandemic,itmaybemorenecessarytoputideologyasideandleteveryonehaveworkandfood.Needlesstosay,theChinesegovernmentdidabetterjobinthisregardduringtheentirepandemicthananyothercountryintheworld,andthevastmajorityofChinesepeoplearealsogenuinelysatisfied.JustafterNewYear'sDayof2021,aBBCreportervisitedasmallshopinBeijingandasked:"HowisChinarecoveringnow?"Theshopkeeperreplied,"Itmustbebetterthanyourcountry."ThisisthevoiceofordinaryChinesepeople.(Translation:XIALuran,CentralUniveristyofFinanceandEconomicsProofreading:WANGXiaomeng,AcademicAssistantofResearchAcademyChengdu,UIBE)Editor:DisclaimerTheviewsandopinionsexpressedinthisarticlearethoseoftheauthor's,GMW.cnmakesnorepresentationsastoaccuracy,suitability,orvalidityofanyinformationonthissiteandwillnotbeliableforanyerrors,omissions,ordelaysinthisinformation.