Anonymous13 days ago
China's official manufacturing PMI dropped to exactly 50.0 in May 2026 — the boundary between expansion and contraction — as new orders fell into negative territory and export demand weakened sharply, particularly in consumer goods. The data exposes a growing divergence between high-tech manufacturing, which continues to expand, and traditional sectors buckling under weak domestic consumption, a protracted property downturn, and the cumulative weight of U.S. tariffs, raising questions about whether Beijing's record fiscal stimulus can bridge the gap.