China's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for its domestic manufacturing sector was at 50.6 percent in April this year, down 0.3 percentage points compared to March, according to the figures released by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on May 1.
In the given month, the production index for China's manufacturing sector declined by 0.1 percentage point month on month to 52.6 percent, while the new order index for the sector decreased by 0.6 percentage points compared to the previous month to 51.7 percent. The raw material inventory index for China's manufacturing sector was at 47.5 percent in April, stable compared to the previous month.
Also in April, the employment index for China's manufacturing sector stood at 49.0 percent, down 0.8 percentage points compared to the previous month, while the supplier delivery time index for the sector in question was at 50.8 percent, down 0.3 percentage points month on month.
Meanwhile, in April, the production index, the new order index and inventory index for the Chinese ferrous metal smelting and processing sector were all below 50 percent.