China's manufacturing expanded at the quickest pace in five months as the monthly index of manufacturing activity increased to 50.8 in May, up from 50.4 in April, dpa cited officials as saying Sunday.
It was the third consecutive increase in the widely watched purchasing managers' index, realeased by the National Bureau of
Statistics and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.
The index began to climb in March after hitting an eight-month low of
50.2 in February.
The 50-per-cent mark denotes the divide between expansion and
contraction of purchasing orders.