Zhao Qinghe, a senior statistician at the NBS, said in a statement that the contraction in factory activity was due to “sharp changes in the external environment and other factors.”
The acute decline underscores the damage that US President Donald Trump’s 145% tariffs on Chinese goods have already inflicted on the country’s export and manufacturing-reliant economy. Chinese manufacturers began to feel the brunt of the sky-high levies last month, as order cancellations and production cuts spread, raising fresh concerns over the country’s growth prospects.