Mumbai, May 6 -- China's service sector expanded at a softer pace at the start of the second quarter of 2025. This was driven by a slower and only marginal rise in new business, which in turn was impacted by recent tariff announcements. Business sentiment dipped to the lowest level seen since February 2020, while staffing levels continued to fall.
Concurrently, concerns over the outlook for sales led service providers to reduce their charges again despite stronger cost inflation in April.
The headline Caixin China General Services Business Activity Index posted 50.7 in April, down from 51.9 in March. This marked the twenty-eighth successive month in which the index has posted above the crucial 50.0 no-change mark to indicate an expansion ...