Beijing - China's monthly index of manufacturing activity fell in April, a report said Wednesday.
The Purchasing Managers' Index for the manufacturing sector fell to 50.6%, down from 50.9% in March, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said.
The 50% mark denotes the divide between expansion and contraction.
The index has remained above 50% since October, which the government said earlier was a sign that it had arrested a slowdown in growth in the world's second-largest economy.
The slight drop in April indicated slower growth in manufacturing and the need for a stronger momentum in the country's economic growth, the federation said.
Annual economic growth fell to 7.8% last year, the slowest since 1999, down from 9.3% in 2011. China has been dealing with slowing demand for its exports amid the eurozone debt crisis and uncertainty over the US economic recovery, as well as growing production costs including rising wages.