The essence of China's "dynamic zero-COVID" strategy is to bring the epidemic situation under control with minimum costs for the society and in the shortest possible time, according to Sun Yeli, spokesperson for the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China.

"We all long for (the pandemic's) early end," Sun said during a press conference on Saturday. "As things stand, however, it is still lingering. That is the reality."

Sun stressed that with all things considered, China's COVID-19 response measures are the most cost-effective and work the best for the Chinese people.