China’s Factory Activity Extends Declines as Heat, COVID Hit Output

Employees work on the production line at Jingjin filter press factory in Dezhou, Shandong province, China, on Aug. 25, 2022. Siyi Liu/Reuters

BEIJING—China’s factory activity extended declines in August as new COVID-19 infections, heat waves, and an embattled property sector weighed on production, suggesting the economy will struggle to sustain momentum.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to 49.4 in August from 49.0 in July, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Wednesday.