"There is a very worrying picture painted by these numbers, and governments do need to wonder if they need more pro-growth strategies in the next few years, " she told the BBC's News Channel.

BBC: Eurozone unemployment reaches new high

But, as the PMI's manufacturing numbers confirm, the picture painted by these private surveys is a good deal stronger than that shown so far by the Office for National Statistics, which highlighted an alarming 1% fall in official manufacturing output in February.

BBC: Britain's zig-zag economy

The initial May numbers, released yesterday by the National Bureau of Statistics, painted a picture of a slumping economy.

FORBES: China Tries to Rescue the Economy, Depositors May Say "No"