China's manufacturing PMI drops to 50 in May

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector stood at 50 in May 2026, down 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, official data showed on Sunday.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction.

This sector saw sustained expansion in manufacturing output and a softening in market demand in May. The production sub-index came in at 51.2, while the new orders index stood at 49.9, according to data jointly released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

The development momentum of new growth drivers continued to improve in May, said Huo Lihui, a chief statistician at the NBS, explaining that the PMI for high-tech manufacturing and equipment manufacturing stood at 52.9 percent and 52.1 percent, respectively, up 0.7 and 0.3 percentage points from the previous month.

The PMI for high-tech manufacturing, notably, has remained in the expansion zone for 16 consecutive months, with related sectors maintaining sound growth momentum, and the leading role of new growth drivers continuing to emerge, Huo said.

Huo noted that the PMI for large enterprises was at 51.1 percent in May, an increase of 0.9 percentage points from April, and has remained in the expansion zone since the beginning of this year.