Xi’s visit to Shaanxi; "6 stabilities" and "6 ensures"; Virus origin

Xi’s Shaanxi inspection tour is a wrap, as signaled by the long opening report on the Thursday CCTV Evening News. Among the key themes from the trip:

1. ecological conservation;

2. poverty alleviation;

3. work resumption;

4. coordinating COVID-19 control with economic and social development as well as poverty alleviation

The CCTV report also emphasized the “six stabilities” and “six ensures”. As Monday’s newsletter noted:

For the first time the Politburo introduced the concept of the “six ensures 六保”, in addition to stressing the “six stabilities” as they have over the last year or so. The six ensures give us a good idea of what worries them the most:

1. ensure employment 保居民就业;

2. ensure basic livelihood 保基本民生;

3. ensure market entities 保市场主体;

4. ensure food and energy security 保粮食能源安全;

5. ensure stability of the supply chain 保产业链供应链稳定;

6. ensure functioning of grassroots institutions 保基层运转 (确保基层政府保基本民生、保工资、保运转)

It surely is not a coincidence that Xi’s first two inspection tours after visiting Wuhan in early March have been t…