The manufacturing sector in China continued to contract in May, and at a faster rate, the latest survey from Caixin showed on Wednesday with a Performance of Manufacturing Index score of 49.2.
That was in line with forecasts, and it was down from 49.4 in April.
It also remained beneath the boom-or-bust line of 50 for the 15th consecutive month.
Among the individual components, output and new orders both declined slightly, while job shedding persisted across the sector.
Weak demand conditions underpinned further falls in both purchasing activity and inventory holdings in May. Inflationary pressures appeared to cool slightly, however, with input prices and output charges both rising at weaker rates.
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May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.