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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Graeme Wearden

China’s factory activity shrinks amid Covid disruption

A worker polishes metal at a factory in Hangzhou, China.
A worker polishes metal at a factory in Hangzhou, China. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

China’s factory activity unexpectedly shrank in July as sporadic Covid outbreaks disrupted the sector and the slowing global economy weighed on demand.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) fell to 49.0 in July from 50.2 in June, China’s National Bureau of Statistics said on Sunday. That was weaker than forecast, below the 50-point mark separating expansion from contraction.

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