Premier Li Keqiang has called for more to be done to stabilise China's economy, issuing a stark warning as the country battles to defeat Covid-19.

Restrictions around the nation in recent months – including in the manufacturing hubs of Shenzhen and Shanghai, as well as in the breadbasket province of Jilin – have tangled supply chains and dragged economic indicators down.

According to a readout by the official Xinhua news agency, Li told a State Council meeting that in some ways the challenges now are "greater than when the pandemic hit hard in 2020."

"We are currently at a critical juncture in determining the economic trend of the whole year," Xinhua quoted him as saying. "We must seize the time window and strive to bring the economy back onto a normal track."

Li also said officials ought to make sure there is "reasonable" growth in the second quarter, fuelling fears that the country's target for yearly expansion of around 5.5 percent may not be met.

In March, and particularly in April, indicators including employment, industrial production and freight dropped "significantly", he noted. (AFP)