It has been over a month since Wuhan, the epicenter of the novel coronavirus outbreak, was placed on lockdown. The megacity with a population of over 10 million is also known as a high-tech hub at the heart of China. How significant is Wuhan to the country's high-tech industry? And how can the novel coronavirus impact the city's pursuit of becoming an innovation powerhouse?
武汉封城已一月有余。这一人口超千万的特大城市也是中国的高科技中心。武汉对中国的高科技产业有多重要？新冠病毒疫情对这座城市成为创新高地将造成何种影响？
Previously a steel city, Wuhan started to encourage next-generation technological advancements in 1988 with the establishment of the East Lake High-Tech Development Zone, also known as Optics Valley. Boasting over 90,000 firms, Optics Valley drove the output of Wuhan's high-tech industries to over 1 trillion yuan (143 billion U.S. dollars) in 2018, according to Xinhua. With its added value surpassing 300 billion yuan (43 billion U.S. dollars), the high-tech industry accounted for 20.6 percent of Wuhan's GDP the same year.
武汉曾是钢铁生产基地。1988年，为鼓励新一代技术进步，武汉建立了东湖高新技术开发区，又名光谷。据新华社报道，2018年，光谷已拥有9万多家企业，推动该市高科技产业产值达到1万亿元(1430亿美元)以上。同年，武汉市高科技产业增加值超过3000亿元（430亿美元），占该市GDP的20.6%。
These economic figures show why the city has cemented its place in China's high-tech industry. Wuhan is now the world's largest producer of optical fiber, optoelectronic devices and laser equipment. More than 300 of the world's top 500 companies, including Microsoft and Germany-based software developer SAP, have a presence in the city. In 2018, Wuhan granted 37,032 invention patents. That means 34 out of 10,000 people in Wuhan own patents – the figure is the fifth-highest among Chinese cities.
这些经济数据说明武汉在中国高科技产业中占据重要地位。如今的武汉是世界上最大的光纤、光电子器件和激光设备生产基地。超过300家世界500强企业在这里落户，其中包括微软以及德国软件开发商思爱普。2018年，武汉共获得37032项发明专利授权，意味着该市每一万人中就有34人拥有自己的专利，在全国城市中排名第五。
These achievements can only maintain their momentum if the city is operating normally. But with the unprecedented traffic restrictions taken to curb the spread of the virus, Wuhan has hit the "pause" button not only on the hustle and bustle of city life, but also the busy production lines.
保持这些辉煌成绩必须仰赖城市的正常运转。但随着武汉采取前所未有的交通管制措施遏制病毒传播，这座城市不仅“暂停”了其喧嚣的都市生活，也“暂停”了繁忙的生产。
While it's still business as usual for some technology-intensive firms thanks to telecommuting, enterprises relying heavily on labor are among the first to feel the pinch. As a result of work shortages, electronics tycoon Foxconn has dropped its estimated revenue growth from 5 percent down to 1-3 percent in 2020, according to Bloomberg. The Economist Intelligence Unit predicted that the contagion could shave between 0.5 and 1 percentage points off China's GDP this year.
尽管得益于远程办公手段，一些技术密集型企业仍可照常运转。但严重依赖劳动力的电子制造业在封城之下倍感压力。由于用工荒，电子制造企业巨头富士康将其2020年收入增长率从5%下调至1%到3%。经济学人智库估计，新冠疫情可能会导致今年中国国内生产总值下降0.5至1个百分点。
But it's not all bad news. The need to combat the novel coronavirus means surging demand for sensors, monitors, virus-screening facilities, and other high-tech products, presenting opportunities for semiconductor firms in Wuhan.
但并不全是坏消息。抗击新冠疫情的必要性意味着对传感器、监测仪、病毒筛查设备和其他高科技产品的需求激增，这对武汉半导体企业来说是机遇。
In addition, the Chinese government has introduced a slew of measures to shore up businesses. China had provided enterprises with 1 trillion yuan (143 billion U.S. dollars) in social insurance payments relief this year to support the resumption of production. China will cut the total tax burden on enterprises by 510 billion yuan (73.07 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020, and is also allowing firms in Hubei Province to waive insurance payments for five months. The hope is that this will create favorable conditions for China's high-tech industry to recover.
不仅如此，中国政府也采取了一系列措施提振企业发展。政府已经为企业减免了1万亿元(1430亿美元)的社会保险费，以支持其复工。同时，政府也将为企业减免5100多亿元（730.7亿美元）的税收，免除湖北企业社保费5个月。希望这些措施可以为中国高科技产业的复苏提供有利条件。
While factories in other cities have gradually resumed operation, Wuhan is still at a standstill. The decision will undeniably have temporary negative impacts on the city's pursuit of becoming a high-tech powerhouse. But this is the sacrifice Wuhan has chosen to make in the fight against the virus outbreak. The shutdown was a difficult decision, but a wise one in the trade-off between economic gains and public health.
其他中国城市的工厂已逐渐恢复运营，但武汉仍处于停滞状态。毫无疑问，封城对该城市成为创新高地将造成短暂的负面影响，但这是武汉为抗击疫情而选择做出的牺牲。封城是艰难的决定，但在经济收益和公共健康之间的权衡中，这实为明智之举。