In this file photo, employees assemble ventilators at a manufacturing unit in Shenyang, Liaoning province. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector rose to 50.9 in June from 50.6 in May, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Tuesday.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below reflects contraction.  

Business activities in the country's manufacturing sector continued to pick up in June amid the country's efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe said

Business activities in the country's manufacturing sector continued to pick up in June amid the country's efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe said.

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The PMI for 14 of the 21 surveyed sectors registered a reading above 50, an increase of five from last month, NBS data showed.

The sub-index for production edged up 0.7 percentage points to 53.9 in June. The sub-index for new orders picked up 0.5 percentage points to 51.4, rising for two consecutive months, NBS data showed.

As major global economies resumed business successively, external demand recovered but remained sluggish, with the sub-index measuring new export orders increasing 7.3 percentage points to 42.6, NBS data showed.

Non-manufacturing PMI

Meanwhile, the PMI for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 54.4 in June, up from 53.6 in May, the NBS said.

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The figure has been rising for four consecutive months, the NBS said.

In June, the service sector continued to improve with the sub-index for business activities edging up 1.1 points from the previous month to 53.4.

Among the 21 service sectors surveyed, 15 saw expansion in their business activities.

In breakdown, the transport, postal, information transmission, information technology and financial sectors all logged more business activities, with their sub-indexes all standing above 59.

Recently, the momentum of the recovery in the manufacturing sector was further consolidated, stimulating related business activities in the service sector, said Zhao.

As the restoration of production and life orders accelerated, market confidence was enhanced and demands for the service sector kept growing, according to Zhao.

The sub-index for new orders rose 0.6 points month-on-month to 52.3, NBS data showed.

The construction industry also showed sustained growth, with its sub-index for business activities at 59.8, above 59 for three months in a row.

However, there are still some service industries facing difficulties in recovery, as the sub-indexes for business activities in culture, sports and entertainment areas below the 50-point mark, Zhao said.