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?

武漢封城已一月有餘。這一人口超千萬的特大城市也是中國的高科技中心。武漢對中國的高科技產業有多重要？新冠病毒疫情對這座城市成為創新高地將造成何種影響？

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.

武漢曾是鋼鐵生產基地。1988年，為鼓勵新一代技術進步，武漢建立了東湖高新技術開發區，又名光谷。據新華社報道，2018年，光谷已擁有9萬多家企業，推動該市高科技產業產值達到1萬億元(1430億美元)以上。同年，武漢市高科技產業增加值超過3000億元（430億美元），佔該市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.

這些經濟資料說明武漢在中國高科技產業中佔據重要地位。現在的武漢是世界上最大的光纖、光電子器件和鐳射裝置生產基地。超過300家世界500強企業在這裡落戶，其中包括微軟以及德國軟體開發商思愛普。2018年，武漢共獲得37032項發明專利授權，意味著該市每一萬人中就有34人擁有自己的專利，在全國城市中排名第五。

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.

保持這些輝煌成績必須仰賴城市的正常運轉。但隨著武漢採取前所未有的交通管制措施遏制病毒傳播，這座城市不僅“暫停”了其喧囂的都市生活，也“暫停”了繁忙的生產。

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.

儘管得益於遠端辦公手段，一些技術密集型企業仍可照常運轉。但嚴重依賴勞動力的電子製造業在封城之下倍感壓力。由於用工荒，電子製造企業巨頭富士康將其2020年收入增長率從5%下調至1%到3%。經濟學人智庫估計，新冠疫情可能會導致今年中國國內生產總值下降0.5至1個百分點。

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.

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.

不僅如此，中國政府也採取了一系列措施提振企業發展。政府已經為企業減免了1萬億元(1430億美元)的社會保險費，以支援其復工。同時，政府也將為企業減免5100多億元（730.7億美元）的稅收，免除湖北企業社保費5個月。希望這些措施可以為中國高科技產業的復甦提供有利條件。

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.

其他中國城市的工廠已逐漸恢復運營，但武漢仍處於停滯狀態。毫無疑問，封城對該城市成為創新高地將造成短暫的負面影響，但這是武漢為抗擊疫情而選擇做出的犧牲。封城是艱難的決定，但在經濟收益和公共健康之間的權衡中，這實為明智之舉。