In this undated photo, employees assemble vehicles at an automobile plant in Weifang, Shandong province. (WANG JILIN / FOR CHINA DAILY)
BEIJING - The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector came in at 51.9 in March, edging up from 50.6 of February, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Wednesday.
A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below reflects contraction.
The rise came as factory activity recovered at a faster pace after the Spring Festival holiday, which fell in February this year, NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe said.
The rise came as factory activity recovered at a faster pace after the Spring Festival holiday, which fell in February this year, NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe said
ALSO READ: Recovery still robust, PMI just a dip
The sub-index for production stood at 53.9 in March, up 2 percentage points from a month earlier, while that for new orders rose 2.1 percentage points to 53.6, which indicates faster expansion of production and demand in the manufacturing sector.
The new export order and import sub-indexes also rose to 51.2 and 51.1, respectively.
READ MORE: China's manufacturing PMI edges down to 50.6 in February
Non-manufacturing PMI
The purchasing managers' index for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 56.3 in March, up from 51.4 in February, the NBS said on Wednesday.
In March, the sub-index for business activities in the services sector stood at 55.2, up from 50.8 in February.
The surge reflects a faster recovery in the services sector as epidemic control efforts paid off and consumption demand continued to increase, said senior NBS statistician Zhao Qinghe.
The sub-indexes for business activities in railway and air transportation, telecommunications and satellite transmission as well as financial services came in at above 60, indicating the rapid growth of business volumes in these areas.
There have been marked improvements in businesses affected by the resurgence of sporadic COVID-19 cases in the winter. The sub-indexes for business activities in the hotel and lodging sector, leasing and commercial services, as well as resident services, all returned to the expansion territory.
The sub-index tracking business activity expectations for the services sector hit 62.9, remaining above 60 for a second consecutive month, showing most service enterprises are optimistic about the market in the near term.
NBS data points to stronger performances in China's construction industry as construction activities picked up after the weather warmed, with the sub-index for business activities rising to 62.3 in March from 54.7 a month earlier.
