Robotic arms produce robots at a factory of Estun Automation in Nanjing, East China’s Jiangsu Province, on April 7, 2025. Estun Automation is a leading enterprise in China’s industrial robotics. From January to November 2024, the output of industrial robots in Nanjing exceeded 32,000 sets. Photo: VCG
The Global Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for August showed that Asia’s manufacturing sector remained in expansionary territory and continues to serve as a key driver of global growth, with China’s strengthening economic fundamentals serving as a major contributing factor, according to data released on Saturday by a Chinese industry federation.
Date from the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) indicated that the global manufacturing PMI rose to 49.9 percent in August, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous month, state broadcaster CCTV News reported on Saturday.
Although the index has stayed below the 50-percent threshold for six consecutive months, signaling that global manufacturing is still in a weak recovery cycle, “the pace of improvement was slightly stronger than in July,” the report sIaid.
Manufacturing in Asia maintained moderate growth and stayed in the expansionary range. The regional PMI came in at 50.9 percent in August, up 0.4 percentage points from July and marking the fourth consecutive month above 50 percent, CFLP data showed.
By country, China’s economic fundamentals continued to strengthen, India maintained robust growth, and Southeast Asia showed further signs of improvement. Analysts noted that Asia’s recovery has consistently outpaced the global average, underlining its role as a central engine of global economic growth, per the report.
In contrast, manufacturing in the Americas and Europe remained in contraction. The Americas PMI came in at 48.8 percent in August, whie the US manufacturing PMI stayed below 50 percent for the sixth straight month, as tariff policies continued to weigh on production costs and employment, according to the Federation.
Europe’s manufacturing PMI stood at 49.8 percent in August, up 0.7 percentage points from July. The index has now risen for eight consecutive months on a month-on-month basis, suggesting that the region’s manufacturing recovery is gradually strengthening, according to the report.
With the global PMI edging close to the 50-percent boom-bust line, experts cited by state broadcaster CCTV said the latest readings signal that the world economy is moving in a positive direction, though the overall strength of the recovery remains limited.
Ongoing trade frictions and geopolitical tensions continue to disrupt global growth. Major economies need to strengthen policy coordination and cooperation to reduce instability in the recovery process and secure the sustainability of global economic momentum, experts said.
China’s steady rebound, underpinned by its advanced manufacturing and resilient logistics network, is not only bolstering Asia’s growth but also providing a stabilizing anchor for global supply chains, Hu Qimu, a deputy secretary-general of the Forum 50 for Digital-Real Economies Integration, told the Global Times on Saturday.
“At a time of heightened uncertainty, China’s role in sustaining industrial and trade linkages has become increasingly vital for the global economy,” he said.
Domestically, CFLP reported last week that China’s manufacturing PMI rose to 49.4 percent in August, up 0.1 percentage point from July, reinforcing the view that the sector’s recovery foundation is gradually consolidating, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
High-tech manufacturing continued to show stronger momentum, with its PMI reaching 51.9 percent in August, a gain of 1.3 percentage points from the previous month. Both the production index and new orders index climbed to around 54 percent, signaling solid performance, per Xinhua.
CFLP’s logistics data, also released Saturday, underscored the resilience and vitality of the Chinese industrial base and economy, which Hu said will continue to provide momentum and support for the global recovery.
According to Xinhua on Friday, China’s supply-demand logistics index rebounded in August, with the logistics prosperity index rising to 50.9 percent, up 0.4 percentage points from July and remaining in expansion for six consecutive months.
Meanwhile, China’s road logistics price index climbed to 105.1 points in August, posting a mild rebound, industry data showed on Saturday. The pickup was driven by steady growth in both production and consumer markets, keeping the logistics sector active and pushing transport prices higher, according to CCTV.
Analysts expect logistics activity to remain buoyant in September as weather-related disruptions ease, the peak production season arrives, and a raft of pro-consumption, investment-stabilization, and livelihood-support measures take effect.
Global Times