"Weak PMIs will likely put more pressure on the People's Bank of China to loosen monetary policy by cutting the reserve requirement ratio," said Zhang Zhiwei, an economist with Nomura International in Hong Kong.
China's manufacturing activity fell to a nine-month low in August as firms struggled with global woes, providing further impetus for Beijing to beef up economic stimulus efforts, HSBC said Thursday.
Preliminary figures from the British banking giant's closely watched purchasing managers' index (PMI), which gauges nationwide manufacturing activity, hit 47.8 this month, the lowest since November, HSBC said in a statement.
A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 points to contraction.
The preliminary result, down from a final reading of 49.3 in July, showed that Chinese manufacturers are still wrestling with declining overseas demand amid the slowing global economy, said Qu Hongbin, a Hong Kong-based economist with HSBC.
"Falling orders dragged down the August flash PMI to a nine-month low, suggesting Chinese producers are still struggling with strong global headwinds," he said in the statement.
New export business declined at its sharpest rate since March 2009, HSBC said, without giving a figure.
"To achieve the stated policy goal of stabilizing growth and the jobs market, Beijing must step up policy easing to lift infrastructure investment in the coming months," Qu said.
HSBC is scheduled to release the final PMI for this month on September 3.
