Manufacturing in China continued to expand in December, official data showed on Tuesday.

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector was 50.1 in December, down from 50.3 in November, but staying above the 50-mark separating growth from contraction for a third consecutive month, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.

NBS statistician Zhao Qinghe said the steady expansion of the PMI suggested the combination of macroeconomic policies continued to take effect during the month.

The data showed that the production and new orders sub-indices came in at 52.1 and 51, respectively. This indicates momentum in the sector's production and market demand.

Driven by the country's consumer goods trade-in programme and the upcoming traditional holiday season, the PMI for the consumer goods sector came in at 51.4, up 0.6 points from the previous month, according to the NBS.

The PMI for the equipment manufacturing sector remained above 50 for a fifth straight month, with its December reading at 50.6.

China's US$18 trillion economy has struggled to recover from the pandemic amid weak consumption and investment, and a protracted property crisis.

However, policymakers hope a recent blitz of fiscal and monetary measures will spark a turnaround in the property market, which has dragged on the broader economy.

Improved domestic demand could benefit manufacturers amid a global economic slowdown, reducing the impact of US President-elect Donald Trump's proposed new tariffs on Chinese goods. (Xinhua/Reuters)