Lecture by Xiaobo Zhang, Professor of Economics at the National Development School of Peking University in China, organised by the European Institute for Chinese Studies (Eurics), with the support of IEA Paris.

Prof. Zhang Xiaobo's conference entitled "Facing Coronavirus in China: Responses and Challenges" took place on 11 March, a few days before the national containment adopted by most Western countries regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

In early 2020, a new type of coronavirus epidemic suddenly spread dramatically from the city of Wuhan in China's Hubei Province, disrupting China's social and economic order. In response, the government imposed a total blockade of the city of Wuhan. Other cities subsequently adopted similar measures to control the epidemic. As a result, the production activities of many companies in China were halted. China had to find a compromise between public health and the resumption of production.

Professor Zhang Xiaobo's lecture addresses this trade-off by analysing the challenges that firms have faced and continue to face, drawing on the Survey of Enterprises for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in China (ESIEC) conducted in 2018 and the follow-up interviews conducted in mid-February 2020.