Global manufacturing PMI picks up for three consecutive months

The global manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) edged up for three consecutive months to stand at 50 percent in January, continuing the steady recovery trend since the fourth quarter of last year, according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing on Thursday.

The index, a key metric in assessing economic health for manufacturing, was up 0.5 percentage over December 2024, marking a good start for the global manufacturing sector in 2025.

Asia's PMI declined by 0.4 percentage over the previous month to reach 50.7 percent in January, staying above 50 percent for 13 months in a row and showing a relatively stable recovery momentum.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction.

The manufacturing PMI for the Americas was 50.9 percent, up 1.3 percentage points from December. This marked a notable return to the expansion zone after nine months, indicating a stronger recovery of the manufacturing sector in the American continent.

Meanwhile, the index of Europe saw an increase of one percentage but remain below 50, at 47.8 percent, indicating that the recovery has gained strength but remains weak overall.

Africa's manufacturing PMI fell to 49.4, a 0.8-percentage-point drop from the previous month, reflecting unstable recovery in the continent.

Analysis suggests that a smooth start for the global manufacturing sector will lay a better foundation for a stable upward trend in the world economy in 2025. Major international institutions maintain their expectations for stable global economic performance this year.

However, it is believed that the global economic recovery is still gripped by the three main issues of inadequate internal impetus for demand, geopolitical conflicts and increased trade frictions.

With geopolitical conflicts in some regions showing no obvious signs of cooling down, the disturbance to the world economy will persist. Trade frictions, mainly the imposition of tariffs, will also have an uncertain impact on global recovery in 2025. But at the same time, more and more countries have recognized the importance of strengthening regional cooperation in maintaining the resilience of economic recovery.

Global manufacturing PMI picks up for three consecutive months

Global manufacturing PMI picks up for three consecutive months

Global manufacturing PMI picks up for three consecutive months

Global manufacturing PMI picks up for three consecutive months

Global manufacturing PMI picks up for three consecutive months

China aims to achieve secure and reliable supply of key core artificial intelligence (AI) technologies by 2027, with its industrial scale and empowerment level remaining among the world's forefront, according to a recent government action plan.

The plan, jointly issued by eight departments including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Cyberspace Administration of China, and the National Development and Reform Commission, outlines an ambitious push to deeply integrate AI with the manufacturing sector, foster new quality productive forces and comprehensively empower new industrialization. By 2027, the plan targets the deep application of three to five general-purpose large AI models in manufacturing, the development of specialized, full-coverage industry-specific large models, the creation of 100 high-quality industrial datasets, and the promotion of 500 typical application scenarios.

It also aims to cultivate two to three globally influential ecosystem-leading enterprises, a batch of specialized and sophisticated small and medium-sized enterprises, and a group of enabling service providers proficient in both AI technology and industry know-how.

Furthermore, China plans to build a world-leading open-source ecosystem, enhance security governance capabilities, and contribute Chinese solutions to global AI development.

The document outlines measures including promoting the coordinated development of AI chips' hardware and software, supporting innovations in model training and inference methods, fostering key industry-specific large models, and deeply embedding large model technology into core production processes.

The plan also emphasizes making breakthroughs in key technologies such as security protection for industrial model algorithms and training data protection.

China aims for secure, reliable supply of AI core tech by 2027