China’s commitment to Covid Zero means it’s all but certain to miss its economic growth target by a large margin for the first time ever. Economists’ median forecast for gross domestic product growth this year has dropped to 4.5%, according to the latest survey compiled by Bloomberg, well below the official target of about 5.5%. Beijing has admitted to missing the goal just once since first setting it three decades ago — by a mere 0.2 percentage point in 1998. It didn’t set a target in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic first hit. China has never adjusted the target mid-year, so there’s no clarity on whether such an option exists or how it would be done. Economists think it’s more likely the GDP goal will be quietly downplayed […]