As China's August PMI falls further, analysts expect more support

Beijing

CHINA's two purchasing managers' indices (PMI) continued to contract in August, in yet another sign that the world's second largest economy is slowing, despite Beijing's efforts to shore it up.

The official PMI published by the National Bureau of Statistics fell to 49.7 last month, in line with economists' projections; it was the worst reading since August 2012.

The other PMI, the final Caixin/Markit PMI, fell to 47.3 last month, a level not seen in six years.

The official PMI is skewed towards state-owned enterprises and large companies, while the Caixin PMI covers more small and medium-sized firms, which explains the…