1 Dec 2011

China's manufacturing activity down

9:51 pm on 1 December 2011

In a further sign of the global economy weakening, Chinese manufacturing activity has fallen.

China's official Purchasing Managers Index fell to 49.0 in November, the lowest level since March 2009.

The BBC reports that the success of its manufacturing sector has been the key to China's economic growth in recent years but economic problems in two of its biggest export markets, the US and Europe, have raised concerns about whether the growth can be maintained.