China’s Factory, Service Sectors Stumble as Economic Malaise Broadens

An employee works at a steel processing production line at a factory in Hefei, Anhui province, China, on Feb. 21, 2020. China Daily via Reuters

BEIJING—China’s factory activity declined for a third straight month in June and weakness in other sectors deepened, official surveys showed on Friday, adding pressure for authorities to do more to shore up growth as demand falters at home and abroad.

Services sector activity for June also recorded its weakest reading since the Chinese regime abandoned its strict COVID-19 curbs late last year, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.