China's purchasing managers' index rose from 49.0 in April to 49.5 in May, the National Bureau of Statistics said. PMI is measured on a scale from 0 to 100, where 50 marks the cutoff between expansion and contraction
The economy has gradually recovered since the index plunged to 35.7 in February during the peak of the coronavirus outbreak in China. The world's second largest economy grew 4.9 per cent in the three months ending Sept. 30, the second straight quarter of growth.