China's April Manufacturing PMI Hits Lowest Among 22 Major Countries Due to COVID Impact

On the 4th, as Beijing, the capital of China, closed some subway stations and adjusted bus routes due to the spread of COVID-19, a subway station attendant was on security duty behind a closed entrance door at a subway station. Although the subway station closures are part of strengthened daily quarantine policies, it is interpreted as a de facto movement restriction measure as the spread of COVID-19 could not be contained.

Due to the worsening COVID-19 situation and the impact of the 'Zero COVID' policy, China's manufacturing investment sentiment was found to be the lowest among 22 major countries worldwide.

On the 7th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported this by comparing the April manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data of 21 major countries published the previous day by the China Federation of Logistics & Purchasing (CFLP) with China's April manufacturing PMI announced by the National Bureau of Statistics of China at the end of last month.

The April manufacturing PMI announced by the National Bureau of Statistics of China on the 30th of last month was 47.4, down 2.1 points from 49.5 in March.

This is lower than Russia's April manufacturing PMI of 48.2, which has been pushed into an economic crisis due to sanctions from the United States and the European Union (EU) following the invasion of Ukraine.

The PMI is an indicator showing economic trends; a reading above the baseline of 50 indicates economic expansion, while below 50 indicates economic contraction.

China's March manufacturing PMI was 49.5, higher than Russia's March manufacturing PMI of 44.1 and Turkey's March manufacturing PMI of 49.4.

Among China's 31 provinces and municipalities, Guangdong Province, the largest economy, Jiangsu Province, the second largest economy, and Shanghai City, a financial and logistics hub, are experiencing severe restrictions on production activities due to the worsening COVID-19 situation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.