TOKYO (Reuters), China needs to take steps in order to lessen COVID-19’s economic effects and bring annual growth above 5% each year, a high-ranking central bank official suggested on Sunday.

Wang Yiming is a member of People’s Bank of China’s Monetary Policy Committee. He told an economic forum that effective macroeconomic policy management was crucial in helping China achieve its national growth goal of 5.5%.

From the last quarter, gross domestic product rose by 4.8%.

Wang stated that Beijing must “actively, effectively,” increase domestic demand and stabilize the country’s industrial supply chain, Wang suggested. He also recommended managing market expectations.

He spoke out as Shanghai, China’s second-largest city and economic capital, battles the largest COVID virus outbreak in its history.

Shanghai residents have been frustrated by the lockdown that lasted more than three weeks and has caused frustration with accessing food and medical care as well as lost wages and family separation.

It has also affected the second-largest global economy. Factory production is being disrupted because of snarled supply lines and problems faced by locked-down citizens returning to work.