Washington/London - Manufacturing growth softened in the US and China but firmed in Europe and India, according to reports highlighting the fractured nature of the global economic recovery.

The world’s two largest economies both saw a tempering of factory production in April, with the pace of US manufacturing expansion easing for a second straight month.

Still, overall US activity remained firm and input prices rose to their highest in nearly three years, according to the data from the Institute for Supply Management released recently.

ISM said its factory index fell to 60.4 in April from 61.2 the month before, above forecasts for a reading of 60.

Despite the decline, analysts were reassured there was not greater spillover into US industry from Japan’s earthquake.

China’s official purchasing managers’ index dipped to 52.9 in April from 53.4 in March, well shy of market forecasts for an increase to 54.0.

The data sent worrying signals to the global economy, which has grown reliant on Chinese demand as a source of growth with the US, Europe and Japan struggling to recover from the financial crisis.

With inflation running at its fastest in nearly three years, China has taken a series of policy actions to rein in prices, raising interest rates and banks’ required reserves multiple times, ordering banks to lend less and speeding up the pace of currency appreciation.

The Markit Eurozone Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which records manufacturing activity across all the major euro area economies, rose to 58.0 last month from March’s 57.5.

The index hit a near-11 year high of 59.0 in February.

Frustratingly for policymakers, the bounce was once again driven by Germany, Europe’s largest economy, and France whose growth overshadowed a continued slide to stagnation in Spain and a persistent contraction in Greece.

“Manufacturing activity was once again robust in April in the core northern euro zone economies, led by Germany. Elsewhere the situation was not so bright,” said Howard Archer at IHS Global Insight.

Separate figures showed India’s factories expanded in April for the 25th consecutive month and at their strongest pace since November with the PMI rising to 58.0 from 57.9 in March, well above the 50 mark that divides growth from expansion.

Data on Sunday showed China’s official PMI fell to 52.9 in April from 53.4 in March, falling short of market forecasts for a rise to 54 as growth in new orders weakened to an eight-month low.

The figures will bolster those policymakers at the European Central Bank who believe the strong recovery in Europe’s core economies calls for more monetary tightening before price rises become entrenched, even while weaker euro zone states remain engulfed in the debt crisis.

The ECB was the first of the world’s big four central banks to raise rates when it upped them by 25 basis points from a record low of 1.0 percent earlier this month. It is not seen making its next tightening move until July.

“By showing ongoing robust euro zone manufacturing activity and rising price pressures, the purchasing managers’ survey reinforces belief that the ECB will pull the interest rate trigger sooner rather than later,” Archer said.

The Fed, in contrast, has held to its policy of completing $600 billion in bond purchases by June, the latest in an array of attempts to revive growth in the world’s largest economy.