China's manufacturing sector continued its expansion in April, though the pace was slower, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) was reported to be 50.4, surpassing the anticipated score of 50.3. Despite this, it was a decrease from March's score of 50.8. However, the figure confirms that the sector is still growing, as any score above 50 indicates expansion, while a score below suggests contraction.
The bureau further reported that the non-manufacturing PMI had reached 51.2, falling short of the predicted score of 52.2 and down from 53.0 in the previous month. The overall composite PMI was 51.7, a decrease from 52.7.