The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI),an indicator of manufacturing sector operating conditions, stood at 50.9 percent in June, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) said on Friday.
The figure dropped to the lowest in two and a half years in June, as the government stepped up efforts to rein in inflation and asset price bubbles.
China's economy is expected to grow 9.5 percent year on year in the first six months, compared with 11.1 percent in the same period of last year, the State Information Center said in a report on Thursday.
China's economic growth is expected to continue slowing in the second half and forecast a 9.3 percent rise, compared with 2010's 10.3 percent.