BEIJING - A Chinese central bank official said on Sunday that recent policy measures are helping improve the Chinese economy and that he expects significant improvement in economic indicators in the second quarter.

Chen Yulu, a deputy governor at the People's Bank of China (PBOC), also told a news conference that the country's financial system remains stable, and that there are ample policy tools.

China's economy is widely expected to contract in the first quarter due to measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

(Reporting by Kevin Yao Writing by Tony Munroe; Editing by Sam Holmes) ((tony.munroe@thomsonreuters.com; +86 10 6627 1288; Reuters Messaging: tony.munroe.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))