Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, in Shenzhen, says economic recovery at ‘most difficult point’

The provinces he was referring to — Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang, Henan and Sichuan — account for 45% of China’s GDP and 40% of the country’s employment, according to Li.

Guangdong, which borders Hong Kong, is China’s most important export hub and manufacturing powerhouse, with a provincial GDP of $1.9 trillion.

The appeal came just a few days after officials in Sichuan, a major center for lithium mining and electronics manufacturing, ordered factories across the province to close for a week to maintain dwindling power supplies to residential users.

It also follows evidence that the broader economy was already beginning to lose steam again in July after picking up pace when Covid restrictions were eased in June.

Retail sales grew 2.7% in July from a year ago, slowing from June’s 3.1% growth, the National Bureau of Statistics reported on Monday. Industrial production was up 3.8% in July from a year earlier, down from the 3.9% growth in June.

Unemployment for those aged 16 to 24 soared to a new record high at 19.9%, up from June’s 19.3%. Property investment by developers contracted 6.4% in the first seven months of this year, and new home prices in 70 major cities dropped for an 11th consecutive month in July.

Analysts widely attribute the broad weakness to renewed Covid lockdowns in many cities and the deepening property downturn in the country.

On Tuesday’s meeting, Li urged the six major economic provinces to step up policy support for businesses in their regions and ensure smooth supply chains.

He also asked them to provide jobs for rural migrant workers and spur consumption demand among local populations, especially for big ticket items like cars and housing.