He said China will pay a huge price with a long road to recovery if the economy can’t keep expanding at a certain rate.

That means growth must be positive in the second quarter, he said, according to the people, who declined to be identified in order to discuss official matters. 

The remarks reinforce economists’ expectations that the government’s growth target this year of about 5.5% is increasingly out of reach. 

Li listed a handful of objectives for local officials to focus on this year, including better balancing Covid controls and economic growth.

Li said the spike in the jobless rate -- it hit 6.1% in April, close to a record -- would bring about grave consequences. 

Li also stressed the need to ensure grain output does not fall below last year’s levels, as such production is key to keeping inflation in check.