China manufacturing grows modestly in April: govt

China's manufacturing activity expanded modestly in April for the second straight month but the rate of growth failed to accelerate, the government said Friday, as the world's second-largest economy struggles to pick up steam. The official Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) released by the National Bureau of Statistics came in at 50.1 last month, the same result as March when the gauge showed growth for the first time this year. January's reading of 49.8 was the first shrinkage