Local statistics officials said retail sales plummeted by 18.9% in March, while industrial output was also hit.

State officials say China needs to improve its air quality standards because pollution is still taking a serious toll on citizens' health.

Shanghai's long-running Covid lockdown continues while big cities and neighbouring states – Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore – are easing restrictions or set to open up.

Strict Covid lockdown measures halted production in key factories. The banking regulator says it will step up support to help restart production.

People's Bank of China governor Yi Gang said China's financial market is not immune to external shock and the pandemic has also applied more pressure

If approved in Japan, the drug would become the country's third antiviral cleared for coronavirus patients following those developed by Pfizer and Merck

The factory in the city of Suzuka will also slash its production by half for the month of April, expanding the scale of the cutback

In a question and answer posted on its official WeChat account, the Shanghai government said the city's epidemic was showing a "positive trend"

Residents in Hong Kong flocked to beauty salons, massage parlours, gyms, cinemas and temples for the first time in months on Thursday, after officials relaxed stringent Covid curbs

The world's largest listed miner warned June-quarter production of the steel-making commodity is also expected to be impacted by lingering worker absenteeism

Unimicron said one plant had resumed production under a "closed loop management" system, while the other would remain shut to comply with Covid curbs

Xi says efforts are needed to stabilise global supply chains and maintains that China's economy is resilient and that its long-term trend has not changed