In February this year, the China Caixin Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) indicated a final reading of 51.6, up 0.1 percentage point compared to the final reading for January, as announced by Beijing-based Caixin media group.
Zhong Zhengsheng, chief economist with China Economic and Business Monitor (CEBM), part of Caixin Insight Group, said that whether demand generated from the resumption of work in March will gain strength will be key in determining China’s economic direction in 2018.
Meanwhile, as announced by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China’s manufacturing sector was at 50.3 percent in February, down 1.0 percentage point compared to the previous month.