BEIJING (Reuters) -- China's factory production plunged at the sharpest pace in 30 years in the first two months of the year as the fast-spreading coronavirus and strict containment measures severely disrupted the world's second-largest economy.
Urban investment and retail sales also fell sharply and for the first time on record, reinforcing views that the epidemic may have cut China's growth by half in the first quarter and that authorities will need to do more to restore growth.
