PKIN (Reuters) – Manufacturing activity in China unexpectedly grew in December despite the recovery of the coronavirus epidemic and as the Chinese economy slowed down in the fourth quarter.
According to official data released Friday, the PMI manufacturing index stood at 50.3 in December, against 50.1 in November.
Analysts expected the index to drop below 50 points, a threshold that separates contraction and expansion in activity.
In the service sector, activity grew at a slightly faster pace in December, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (SNB) show.
The services PMI index rose 52.7 in December, compared to 52.3 in November.
The composite PMI index, which unites activity in the two sectors, remained stable 52.2.
(Report Ryan Woo and Crossley; French version Camille Raynaud)