China’s Xi pledges to minimise impact of virus

BEIJING (Reuters) – China will definitely be able to minimise the impact of the coronavirus outbreak and will maintain the development momentum of its economy, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday, state media reported.

China will strive to achieve this year’s development targets, Xi added, in a telephone call with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, the report said.

The Chinese government has taken strict measures to curb the virus and treatment methods continue to see breakthroughs, Xi added.

“We will also be able to minimise the impact of the epidemic, maintain the momentum of China’s economic development, and strive to achieve this year’s development goals and tasks,” the report paraphrased him as saying.

Chinese policymakers have implemented a series of measures to support an economy jolted by the coronavirus outbreak, which is expected to have a devastating impact on first-quarter growth.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Ben Blanchard; editing by John Stonestreet)