China’s factory activity contracts in April as US tariffs hurt orders

TOKYO — China’s manufacturing activity contracted in April, reversing an expansion recorded in the previous two months, as the trade war with the U.S. started to weigh on the outlook for exports.

The country’s benchmark purchasing managers’ index came in at 49.0 for the month, the National Bureau of Statistics announced on Wednesday. The reading, the lowest since December 2023, dropped from March’s 50.5 and was below the median forecast of 49.8 in a Reuters poll.