China's manufacturing activity speeds up in March, PMI shows

An employee at a company manufacturing lithium batteries in Huaibei, in eastern China’s Anhui province. — AFP

BEIJING: China's manufacturing activity expanded at the fastest pace in a year in March, an official factory survey showed on Monday, in a positive sign for the world's second-largest economy as it deals with an escalating U.S. trade war.

The official purchasing managers' index (PMI) was 50.5 in March versus 50.2 in February, above the 50-mark separating growth from contraction, and matching a median forecast of 50.5 in a Reuters poll. It was the highest PMI reading since March 2024.