The purchasing managers' index for the nation's manufacturing sector stood at 49.2 in July, down from 50.3 from June, official data showed on Friday.

Huo Lihui, a chief statistician with the National Bureau of Statistics, attributed the fall to multiple factors.

"Factors include a relatively high base from the rapid manufacturing growth in the previous period and the traditional off-season for production in some manufacturing industries," she said.

Despite the overall decline, equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing continued to play a supporting and leading role, with their PMI readings at 51.4 and 53.3, respectively, significantly higher than the manufacturing sector as a whole, she noted.

Readings above 50 indicate expansion while those below that mark signal contraction

General equipment, computer and communication electronic equipment industries saw both production and new orders indices above 53 percent, indicating relatively high market activity and fast growth in production and demand, Huo added.

"Enterprises are generally optimistic about market development," she said, citing the sub-index for production and business expectations this month, which came in at 54.1.

In particular, sub-indices spanning the manufacturing sectors of food, wine, beverages and refined tea, as well as railways, shipping, aerospace and equipment, exceeded 60 percent, reflecting stronger confidence in near-term development, Huo said.

Friday's data also revealed that the sub-index for employees went up 0.5 percentage points from 49 previously, indicating an improvement in the employment climate in the manufacturing sector, according to the bureau

The PMI for the non-manufacturing sector came in at 49, down from 50.2.

Among service industries, the PMI readings for postal services, telecommunications, broadcasting and satellite transmission services, as well as culture, sports and entertainment, remained in the high prosperity range of above 55. (Reporting by Xinhua)



Edited by Edmond Fong