A: Hey buddy! Guess what I just read?

B: What's up?

A: China's factory activity... kinda improved a bit in June, but it's still not doing great because businesses are worried about the trade talks with the US.

B: Really? Sounds tricky. Did the numbers go up or down?

A: Well, they went up a tiny bit, but they're still below the 'everything is awesome' line for the third time in a row!

B: So not so good then... Who did they ask about this?

A: They talked to around 3,200 manufacturers. Big companies were doing better, but small and medium ones are still slow.

B: What about the service providers though?

A: Oh, they got a little better too! But it's not enough to make everything look great.

B: That's quite interesting. Do you think those tariff negotiations will help?

A: Well, they had some talks in London that helped ease some concerns, but it's not like everything is sunshine and rainbows yet. They're still being careful.
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China's factory activity picked up slightly in June. But its key gauge remained below the boom-or-bust line for a third month in a row, as businesses are still concerned about the future of trade talks with the US.



The National Bureau of Statistics says the manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index was 49.7 for the month.
That's up 0.2 from May, but still below the 50-point threshold.



Figures above the mark indicate expansion, while those below suggest contraction. The Bureau surveyed 3,200 manufacturers.



The index for large businesses exceeded the threshold, at 51.2. But activity at medium- and small-sized firms remained sluggish.



Meanwhile, the index for the non-manufacturing sector, including service providers, improved by 0.2 points to 50.5.



Washington and Beijing continue to hold tariff negotiations after slashing additional levies on each other.



Concerns were somewhat eased following a round of talks in London, but this was not enough to reverse the cautious outlook.