HONG KONG (AP) — China’s manufacturing contraction eased in May, a survey showed Tuesday, in the latest sign that the slowdown in the world’s second biggest economy is steadying.

The HSBC index, which is based on a survey of factory purchasing managers, climbed to 49.4 last month from 48.1 in April. The index uses a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 indicate expansion. The number was weaker than 49.7 in a preliminary version of the survey because of a revision to stocks of finished goods.