BEIJING - The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector stood at 50.1 in December, up 0.9 percentage points from the previous month, official data showed Wednesday.

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

The PMI for large enterprises came in at 50.8, an increase of 1.5 percentage points, while the reading for medium-sized enterprises stood at 49.8, up 0.9 percentage points. The PMI for small enterprises stood at 48.6, down 0.5 percentage points from the previous month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

In December, the sub-index for production stood at 51.7, up 1.7 percentage points from the previous month. On the demand side, the sub-index for new orders came in at 50.8, up 1.6 percentage points, according to the NBS.

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The supplier delivery time index was 50.2 percent, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from the previous month, indicating that the delivery time of raw material suppliers in the manufacturing industry continued to decrease.

Non-manufacturing sector

NBS data showed Wednesday that the PMI for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 50.2 in December, up 0.7 percentage points from the previous month, returning to expansion territory. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction.

The sub-index for business activity in the service sector stood at 49.7 in December, edging up 0.2 percentage points from November, signaling a modest recovery in sector vitality.

By sector, industries including telecommunications and broadcasting, monetary and financial services, and capital market services all recorded readings above 60, indicating strong growth in business activity. In contrast, sectors such as retail and catering remained in contraction territory.

The business expectation index for the service sector remained relatively high at 56.4 in December, up 0.5 percentage points from the previous month, pointing to growing confidence among service enterprises about future market prospects.

Meanwhile, the construction sector displayed a clear recovery. Its business activity index rose to 52.8 in December, up 3.2 percentage points from November, buoyed by factors such as warmer-than-usual temperatures in some southern regions and accelerated construction progress ahead of the New Year and Spring Festival holidays.

The business expectation index for construction stood at 57.4, remaining in high-expansion territory and reflecting continued optimism in the industry.