China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index is expected to rise to 49.6 in August from 49.2 in July, according to a Reuters poll of 17 economists, but remain below 50, the threshold separating contraction from growth. The National Bureau of Statistics is due to release the company-survey-based data on Monday. A second month of contraction would underscore mounting headwinds for the world’s second-largest economy, where second-quarter growth slowed to 4.3%, below Beijing’s 4.5%-5% annual target. Weak domestic demand, the property-market slump and extreme weather have weighed on activity, while manufacturing and exports have supported growth and benefited from the global boom in AI infrastructure investment. Analysts expect targeted policy measures rather than large-scale stimulus. The private-sector RatingDog manufacturing PMI is forecast to edge up to 51.0 from 50.9 in July.