Xi warned officials that efforts to stop virus could hurt economy - sources

FILE PHOTO: People wearing masks walk past a portrait of Chinese President Xi Jinping on a street as the country is hit by an outbreak of the novel coronavirus in Shanghai, China February 10, 2020. REUTERS/Aly Song/File Photo

BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese President Xi Jinping warned top officials last week that efforts to contain the new coronavirus had gone too far, threatening the country's economy, sources told Reuters, days before Beijing rolled out measures to soften the blow.

With growth at its slowest in nearly three decades, China's leaders seem eager to strike a balance between protecting an already-slowing economy and stamping out an epidemic that has killed more than 1,000 people and infected more than 40,000.