A robot works on a production line of an electrical equipment company in Liuzhou City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, Sept 21, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector came in at 49.4 in November, down from 49.5 last month, data showed Thursday.

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

The sub-index for large enterprises remained in the expansion zone at 50.5 in November, staying in the expansion territory for six consecutive months

The production sub-index registered 50.7, remaining in the expansion territory, and the new order index logged 49.4. Specifically, demands in medicine, automobile, railway, shipping, and aerospace equipment witnessed steady growth.

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The sub-index for large enterprises remained in the expansion zone at 50.5 in November, staying in the expansion territory for six consecutive months.

Growth of new driving forces accelerated. The PMI of high-tech manufacturing industries returned to the expansion territory, standing at 51.2, while that of equipment manufacturing industries stood at 51.6.

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Enterprises anticipate manufacturing activities to pick up in the near term, with the sub-index for production and business expectations rising to 55.8 from October's 55.6 and remaining above 55 for five consecutive months.

Non-manufacturing PMI at 50.2

China's non-manufacturing activity maintained expansion in November, with the purchasing managers' index for the sector reaching 50.2, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Thursday.

Enterprises anticipate services activities to pick up, with the sub-index for business expectations rising to 59.3, up from 57.5 in October, showing strong confidence in enterprises in the recovery of the sector in the future

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

The sub-index for the service sector was 49.3 in November, down from 50.1 in October, as the impact of the Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays weakened.

The business activities sub-indexes of transport, accommodation, catering, and entertainment went down, as the base in October was high, said senior NBS statistician Zhao Qinghe.

Zhao said the sub-indices of telecommunications, radio, television and satellite transmission services, monetary and financial services, and capital market services all stood above 55.

Enterprises anticipate services activities to pick up, with the sub-index for business expectations rising to 59.3, up from 57.5 in October, showing strong confidence in enterprises in the recovery of the sector in the future.

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The construction sector maintained strong growth this month, with its sub-index for business activities standing at 55, up from 53.5 in October, Zhao noted.

The sub-index measuring expectations for activities in the construction sector came in at 62.6, indicating optimism among construction enterprises.