BEIJING- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said the country's economy could grow this year, state radio reported on Sunday, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The world's second-biggest economy grew 3.2% year on year in the second quarter, recovering from a record contraction as coronavirus lockdown measures ended and policymakers stepped up stimulus to combat the shock from the crisis. 

Li also said the government expects more than 9 million new urban jobs to be created this year.

(Reporting by Yilei Sun, Yan Shen and Ryan Woo Editing by David Goodman ) ((Y.Sun@thomsonreuters.com; +86 10 66271262; Reuters Messaging: y.sun.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))