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M. Continuo

China March official manufacturing PMI rises to 50.3


    BEIJING (Reuters) - Activity in China's factory sector edged up slightly in March, a government survey showed, though the figure is unlikely to dispel concerns that the world's second-largest economy is facing a slow first quarter.

    The official Purchasing Managers' Index grew to 50.3 in March from February's 50.2, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Tuesday.

    Economists had expected the reading to rise to 50.3, slightly above the 50-point threshold separating growth from contraction.

    (Reporting By Adam Rose; editing by Jonathan Standing)