BEIJING - The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector came in at 49.1 in August, official data showed Saturday.

The reading edged down from 49.4 the previous month, amid the continuous impact of heat wave and rainstorms on the country's manufacturing activity, said Zhao Qinghe, senior statistician of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Zhao said the manufacturing sector climate was also affected by the arrival of off-season for some industries.

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

The sub-indices for production and new orders both dipped in August, but those for high-tech manufacturing and equipment manufacturing climbed evidently to rise above the boom-bust line of 50, according to the NBS.

The PMI for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 50.3 in August, up from 50.2 in July, NBS data showed.

The service sector sub-index stood at 50.2 in August, up from 50 in July, while that of construction fell to 50.6 from 51.2 the previous month, according to the NBS.

A breakdown of the data showed that the railway transport, air transport, postal services, culture, sports and entertainment sectors recorded a fast expansion in August, lifted by the country's summer spending boom, while those related to capital market services, property sector and resident services logged contraction, according to NBS senior statistician Zhao.

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The business expectation index of the service sector remained at a high level of 55.4, while that for the construction sector improved markedly to 54.7 in August, according to Zhao.