BEIJING—China’s factory activity eked out growth in September, but a slowdown in services sector growth and a downbeat private manufacturing survey pointed to further cooling as the economy grapples with COVID-19 curbs and softening global demand.
China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to 50.1 in September from 49.4 in August, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Friday, beating expectations.
The index’s return to growth, after two months of contraction, was helped by recent easing measures, but the private Caixin survey showed factory activity slumped more quickly in September and the official survey showed a sharp slowdown in services sector activity growth….