The top leaders of China's Communist Party say they will continue to pursue a "zero-COVID" policy owing to a possible further spread of the coronavirus.

The state-run Xinhua News Agency reported that President Xi Jinping and other senior officials held a session of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the party's Central Committee on Thursday.

The leaders noted that China is a populous country with large vulnerable groups, unbalanced regional development and insufficient medical resources.

They cautioned that the scope and scale of outbreaks may further expand due to the mutation of the virus and the climate during the winter and spring.

Local media reports say authorities confirmed about 8,500 new cases of the virus on Wednesday, the most since May.

Officials are following the "zero-COVID" policy, strictly limiting people's movements in communities where infections have been reported. Xi says the policy will lead to a triumph over the virus.

But the restriction has affected daily life and economic activity, with commercial facilities and tourist spots closed and supply chains disrupted.

The organizer of the Beijing motor show, one of the world's largest trade fairs, says this year's event will not go ahead because of the coronavirus situation in the country.