China's manufacturing weakens in July

Beijing

BOTH of China's manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index underperformed last month, suggesting a weak start to the third quarter as the world's second-largest economy suffers from both weak external and domestic demand and the government struggles to stabilise the volatile equity markets.

Analysts expect further measures to support the economy in the form of credit easing and investment as China searches for new engines of growth.

The official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), geared towards larger state-o…