PMI growth slows in April

Activity in the country's manufacturing sector softened in April, according to data released Wednesday by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) slowed to 50.6 in April from 50.9 in March, driven by a slump in new export orders, the federation said in a statement posted on its website.

The PMI reading, though it points to lackluster manufacturing activity, remains above the 50 demarcation line between contraction and expansion.

The reading is in line with a flash PMI reading released in late April by HSBC, which weakened to 50.5 in April from the previous month's 51.6.