China's factory activity returns to expansion, PMI shows

BEIJING, March 31 (Reuters) - China's factory activity returned to growth in March, supported by improved demand, an official survey showed on Tuesday.

The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) came in at 50.4, up from 49.0 in February and above the 50-mark separating growth from contraction, according to a survey by the National Bureau of Statistics. It beat analysts' forecast for a 50.1 reading in a Reuters poll.