‘WEAKNESS’:
The world’s second-largest economy has been struggling with a slowdown in domestic demand and investment over the past few years
AFP, BEIJING
China’s factory activity was flat last month after two months of expansion, official data showed yesterday, as weaker demand and rising energy costs due to the Middle East war weighed on growth.The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) — a key measure of industrial activity — was 50.0 last month, the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported.The 50.0 mark separates expansion from contraction.
An employee works on a battery assembly line at a Leapenergy factory in Huzhou, China, on April 26.
