Chinese manufacturing conditions deteriorated for a sixth straight month in August, accelerating the pace of decline from what was already a three-year low.
Caixin's "flash" purchasing managers' index fell to 47.1 this month, a 77-month low, versus a "final" reading of 47.8 in July. Any score below 50 indicates the manufacturing sector is shrinking.
The data suggest the world's second largest economy continues to struggle for momentum in August. Data for July has already shown exports were down more than 8 per cent year-on-year. Meanwhile, industrial production slowed to a year-on-year pace of 6 per cent, its weakest since April, while retail sales grew at a 10.5 per cent pace, slowing from a 10.6 per cent pace in June.