Roundup: Well-performed Bolivian economy might be threatened by possible 4th wave of pandemic - Xinhua | English.news.cn - Xinhua

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LA PAZ, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Bolivian government and experts say the country's economy had a positive performance in the first half of the year, but it is necessary to be cautious in the face of a possible fourth wave of COVID-19.

In a speech delivered to the country on Friday, Bolivian President Luis Arce assured people that growth had resumed, pointing to the reduction of unemployment and the increase in exports.

Jose Gabriel Espinoza, an economist at the Bolivian Catholic University, told Xinhua that although economic indicators have been positive, the pandemic is still active in the country.

"It is true that there are better conditions for the recovery of the economy ... but the situation of vulnerability remains," he said, noting the measures taken "have not yet achieved a real reactivation of the productive apparatus and exports."

Omar Yujra, president of the Commission for Planning, Economic Policy, and Finance of the Lower House, told Xinhua that Bolivia is heading towards the reactivation of the economy.

He said that the government has prioritized public investment to boost the economic growth of the country by funding strategic infrastructure projects and social aid programs, including the Bond against Hunger, which provided assistance to more than 4 million Bolivians affected economically by the pandemic.

Marcelo Arequipa, a political analyst and professor at the Bolivian Catholic University, said that it is difficult to make an economic recovery assessment amid the ongoing pandemic.

However, Arce's government has indeed managed to stabilize the economy through a significant increase in public investment and the launch of strategic projects, he said.

"In these months, this government has had to stabilize the country to get out of the crisis: to start generating resources to boost the internal economy through public investment and foreign investment," he said. Enditem

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Roundup: Well-performed Bolivian economy might be threatened by possible 4th wave of pandemic - Xinhua | English.news.cn - Xinhua
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