China’s PMI for October came in at 49.3, below the 50 mark separating expansion from contraction. (EPA Images pic)BEIJING: China's factory activity slipped back into contraction territory in October, official data showed Saturday, despite sustained growth in high-tech industries, as the market for consumer goods weakened.
The manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI), a closely watched gauge of industrial health, came in at 49.3 this month, below the 50 mark separating expansion from contraction.
The fall in manufacturing activity was in part driven by a week-long national holiday at the start of the month, as well as a "complex and volatile international environment", according to NBS statistician Huo Lihui.
