China's monthly index of manufacturing activity climbed to 50.3 per cent in March, marginally above the February figure but suggesting continued weak sentiment in the world's second-largest economy, dpa reported. The purchasing managers' index crept above the 50.2 per cent recorded last month, reflecting economic stability and the resumption of normal production after China's lunar new year holiday, said Zhao Qinghe, an economist with the National Bureau of Statistics. The 50-per-cent mark denotes the divide between expansion and contraction of purchasing orders. The similar Markit/HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index, which more closely tracks private sector manufacturing, dropped to 48.0 in March. China's annual economic growth slumped to 7.7 per cent in the last two years, the slowest since 1999, and is not expected to increase this year. The ruling Communist Party set a broad target of 7.5 per cent for this year's growth.