China's solid economy still intact, says NDRC official

China has the capability, confidence and determination to continuously promote steady, healthy and sustainable economic development despite disruptions from the COVID-19 outbreak, the nation's top economic regulator said on Friday.

"Though the coronavirus outbreak has dealt a huge blow to economic activity, it will only have a temporary and limited economic effect," said He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, on the sidelines of the ongoing two sessions. "The fundamentals of China's sound economic growth remain unchanged and China has the ability to cope with the various risks and challenges due to the coronavirus outbreak."

Though the coronavirus outbreak severely impacted economic activity, the nation is gradually returning to normalcy. In April, the country's total added value of industrial enterprises above a designated size rose by 3.9 percent on a yearly basis, compared with the 1.1 percent decrease in March.