China's factory activity grows in April - statistics

TOKYO, April 30 (KUNA) -- China's factory activity expanded for the second consecutive month in April, government data showed Tuesday.
The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector, a gauge of activity of some 3,000 big and state-owned firms across the country, stood at 50.4 on a 100-point scale, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
A PMI reading above 50 percent indicates business expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction. The index, a closely watched barometer of the health of the world's second-biggest economy, had been in contractionary territory since October 2023 to February, then rebounded to 50.8 in March.
"The reading has maintained expansion for two consecutive months, indicating the continuous recovery of the sector," state-run Xinhua News Agency quoted bureau senior statistician Zhao Qinghe as saying in Beijing.
"Enterprise production accelerated, and the production index hit 52.9, the highest since April 2023," said Zhao, adding that new economic drivers also maintained brisk expansion, such as equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing.
Meanwhile, the PMI for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 51.2 in April, down from 53.0 in March. (end) mk.mt