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China's factory activity flat in May, PMI shows

By Reuters Reuters
Employees work on a production line manufacturing metal parts for furniture at a factory in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China April 30, 2020. China Daily via REUTERS
Employees work on a production line manufacturing metal parts for furniture at a factory in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China April 30, 2020. China Daily via REUTERS China Daily CDIC Reuters

BEIJING - China's factory activity came in flat in May, an official survey showed on Sunday, indicating that the manufacturing sector was under pressure from weak domestic demand and higher production costs.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) dropped to 50 from 50.3 in April, straddling the 50-mark separating growth from contraction, according to a survey by the National Bureau of Statistics. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the gauge to come in at 50.

(Reporting by Ethan Wang, Yukun Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Sonali Paul)

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 9:39 PM.

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