Asia's manufacturing activity continued to build up steam in April in another sign that the region is leading the global recovery.

　　4月份亞洲制造業活動繼續展現強勁動力，再次表明該地區正在引領全球經濟復蘇。

　　The region's industrial production has been growing strongly as companies rebuild inventories to satisfy rebounding consumer demand. The increase in demand is fuelling exports, the engine of growth for many of the region's economies.

　　隨著企業重建庫存以滿足消費者的需求反彈，該地區的工業生產保持了強勁的增長。需求增加帶動了出口，而出口正是本地區許多經濟體的增長發動機。

　　Last week, the International Monetary Fund lifted its 2010 growth forecast for Asia to 7.1 per cent, up from 5.85 per cent projected last October.

　　上周，國際貨幣基金組織(IMF)調升了它對2010年亞洲經濟增長的預測，從去年10月預測的5.85%調高至7.1%。

　　Monday brought a flurry of purchasing managers' indices underlining the robustness of manufacturing. The Australian Industry Group-PwC performance of manufacturing index rose sharply to 59.8 from 50.5 in March. The April result was the highest achieved since May 2002 and significantly above the 50 point level which separates expansion from contraction.

　　周一公布的一系列采購經理人指數，突顯出制造業的充沛活力。4月份，澳洲工業集團—普華永道(The Australian Industry Group-PwC)制造業指數從3月份的50.5大幅上升至59.8。這是2002年5月以來的最高水平，大大高于50點的收縮與擴張分水嶺。

　　The HSBC/Markit Economics PMI for South Korea rose 1.5 points to 57.1. China's official PMI, released on Saturday, edged up to 55.7, although the HSBC/Markit Economics index fell to a six-month low of 55.4.

　　匯豐/ Markit Economics韓國采購經理指數上升1.5點，至57.1。上周六公布的中國官方采購經理人指數微升至55.7，盡管匯豐/Markit Economics中國指數降至55.4的6個月低點。

　　The HSBC/Markit Economics indices for Taiwan and India both declined from March but both remained well above the key 50 threshold, signalling a considerable strengthening in the health of the manufacturing sector.

　　匯豐/Markit Economics臺灣和印度指數均較3月份下降，但都遠高于50的門檻，顯示出制造業健康程度大大加強。

　　The strong expansion in manufacturing activity is raising inflation concerns, with some economists calling for tighter monetary policies.

　　制造業活動的強勁擴張正引發通貨膨脹擔憂，一些經濟學家呼吁政府收緊貨幣政策。

　　“Asia needs to bite the bullet if it wants to avoid another cycle of bubbles and busts; as soothing as high growth now feels, it needs to be restrained by higher interest rates, and appreciating exchange rates, to sustain it,” said HSBC economists Qu Hongbin and Frederic Neumann in an April report.

　　“亞洲如果要避免另一場‘泡沫—破裂'周期，就需要忍受痛苦；如今的高增長固然令人欣慰，但必須通過較高的利率和匯率升值加以約束，使其得以持續，”匯豐銀行(HSBC)經濟學家屈宏斌(Qu Hongbin)和范力民(Frederic Neumann)在4月份的報告中說。

　　In China, where consumer price inflation hit 2.4 per cent in March, the central bank announced on the weekend that it would raise the amount banks must hold in reserve for the third time this year. In April, India raised interest rates for the second straight month to offset fast-rising consumer prices.

　　在中國，消費價格指數在3月份達到2.4%，央行在上周末宣布，今年第三次提高商業銀行的存款準備金比率。在4月份，印度連續第二個月提高利率，以應對快速上升的消費價格。