The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector improved in August, raising 0.6 percentage points from the month before to 49.8, according to figures from the National Bureau of Statistics.

The composite PMI output index rose from 49.3 to 49.5.

Several PMI sub-indexes returned to expansion in August.

The sub-index on production advanced to 50.4, from 49.9 in July. The new orders sub-index recovered to 50.6 from 48.5, while new export orders improved to 50.1 from 49.6.

Huo Lihui, a chief statistician with the National Bureau of Statistics, said in a statement that the August PMI data reflected an improvement in the world's second-largest economy.

“Manufacturing activity rebounded thanks to strong export demand,” Nguyen Hoang Nam, a China economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a research note.

Official data also showed the PMI for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 49 in August, unchanged from the level in July.

PMI readings above 50 indicate expansion while readings below 50 signal contraction. (Xinhua/AP)


Edited by Edmond Fong