China's factory activity shrinks as COVID-19 hits economy
China's factory activity shrank in March, official data showed on Thursday (Mar 31), as the country's worst COVID-19 outbreak in two years brought sporadic lockdowns and factory closures.
SLOT ONLINE are constantly updating new games, making them. No boredom, and it's a game that can be played for any amount of time anywhere.
The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) - a key gauge of manufacturing activity - slid to 49.5, just below the 50-point mark separating growth from contraction, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
It was the first contraction in five months and was lower than expectations from economists polled by Bloomberg.
The fall comes as authorities struggle to stamp out coronavirus outbreaks with restrictions and lockdowns on key manufacturing hubs such as Shenzhen in the south and Changchun in the northeast.
"Recently, clustered outbreaks have occurred in many places in China," NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe said in a statement Thursday.
"Coupled with a significant increase in international geopolitical instability, the production and operation activities of Chinese enterprises have been affected," he added.
For weeks China has recorded thousands of virus cases each day, after nearly two years of extinguishing almost all infections within its borders.
That has rattled its "zero-COVID" strategy.
Some companies have temporarily reduced or stopped production because of COVID-19.
