BEIJING: Factory activity in China expanded at a slower pace in May as the country attempts to get back on track after the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, official data showed on Sunday, with the global economic slump making the sector’s recovery difficult.

China’s factories have stirred back to life after the lifting of strict lockdown measures imposed when the deadly Covid-19 pathogen surfaced in the central city of Wuhan, but the spread of the virus worldwide has dragged down key foreign markets — weighing heavily on Chinese exports.