China drops GDP goal as parliament opens, virus slams economy
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BEIJING (Reuters) - China dropped its annual growth target for the first time on Friday and pledged more government spending as the COVID-19 pandemic hammers the world's second-biggest economy, setting a sombre tone to this year's meeting of parliament. The omission from Premier Li Keqiang's work report marks the first time China has not set a target for gross domestic product (GDP) since the government began publishing such goals in 1990. The economy shrank 6.8% in the first quarter, the first..