China manufacturing unexpectedly cools

A worker arranges raw filaments at a factory in Xining in the Qinghai province. — Xinhua

BEIJING: China’s manufacturing activity unexpectedly shrank in April, official data shows, raising pressure on policymakers seeking to boost an economy struggling for a post-Covid lift-off amid subdued global demand and persistent property weakness.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) declined to 49.2 from 51.9 in March, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, below the 50-point mark that separates expansion and contraction in activity on a monthly basis.