China manufacturing sector growth slows amid rising costs in World Economy News 01/04/2026 China’s manufacturing sector expanded for a fourth consecutive month in March, though growth moderated as factories faced the sharpest cost pressures in four years and supply chain disruptions intensified. The RatingDog China General Manufacturing PMI fell to 50.8 in March from 52.1 in February, marking the second-strongest performance in six months. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. Output and new orders both increased during the month, extending growth streaks to four months, though both expanded at slower rates than in February. New export business also rose, albeit at a more modest pace. Employment grew for a third straight month, representing the longest period of job creation since mid-2021. Manufacturers increased headcounts as backlogs of work rose at a faster rate, reflecting capacity constraints and personnel changes. Supply chains faced notable pressure, with delivery times lengthening to the greatest extent since December 2022. Firms attributed the delays to supply chain disruptions, volatile input prices and supplier capacity constraints. Input price inflation accelerated to the highest level since March 2022, while output prices increased at the sharpest pace in four years. Both rates exceeded their long-run survey averages. Purchasing activity expanded for a third consecutive month, while stocks of purchases rose slightly. Inventories of finished goods contracted marginally as companies fulfilled orders from existing holdings. Manufacturers maintained an optimistic 12-month production outlook, citing firmer customer demand, capacity investment, new products and supportive government policies. Sentiment softened from February’s recent peak but remained stronger than in December and January. The survey collected data from around 650 manufacturers between March 12-23. This article was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor. For more information see our T&C. Source: Investing.com 2026-04-01 hellenicshippingnews... window.___gcfg = {lang: 'en-US'}; (function(w, d, s) { function go(){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0], load = function(url, id) { if (d.getElementById(id)) {return;} js = d.createElement(s); js.src = url; js.id = id; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }; load('//connect.facebook.net/en/all.js#xfbml=1', 'fbjssdk'); load('https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js', 'gplus1js'); load('//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js', 'tweetjs'); } if (w.addEventListener) { w.addEventListener("load", go, false); } else if (w.attachEvent) { w.attachEvent("onload",go); } }(window, document, 'script')); tweet Share