'six stabilities, six guarantees' 六稳六保 liù wěn liù bǎo

six of one, half a dozen of the other paint a smile on the soaring economy
Declaring spiritual victory over economic crisis, Beijing now groups macro trends and micro impacts into two lists of six. Once separate, the two lists now consolidate the long-term requirements for ‘baseline thinking’. The ‘six stabilities’ emerged as the economy slowed and the US trade war intensified under Trump. At stake in 2018 were 
  • employment
  • financial sector
  • foreign trade
  • foreign investment
  • domestic investment
  • expectations
After Trump came COVID-19, prioritising the ‘six guarantees’. At stake in 2020 were guarantees for
  • employment
  • basic living needs
  • corporate operations
  • food and energy security
  • stable supply chains
  • normal grassroots governance
Taken together the phrases register the macro impacts of rising global tensions, but also the impacts on the real economy and on individuals brought by COVID-19:  lockdowns, supply chain and business disruption, and local government financial havoc.
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