China's factory activity shrank slightly with the manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) going into contraction zone in October, the latest data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Tuesday.

Official manufacturing PMI came in at 49.5 in October, down by 0.7 point from the previous month. The composite output PMI – which measures both manufacturing and services activity – was 50.7, a decrease of 1.3 points from September. 

The PMI for the non-manufacturing sector came in at 50.6 for the same month, showing that the services and construction industries maintained an expansion trend albeit at 1.1 points lower.

The official PMI is a gauge of business sentiment among larger factory operators, with the 50-point mark being the line between expansion and contraction.

The services-sector index declined but continued to remain in growth territory at 50.1, marking 10 straight months of expansion.

Notably, railway transportation, air transportation, postal service, telecommunications, radio and television and satellite transmission services showed strong growth, with activity indexes averaging 60 points or above, said the NBS.

In general, the latest data reflects a challenging and complex external environment and China's need to expand effective domestic demand, stimulate the vitality of business entities and ensure the effective implementation of policies that have been introduced, Bruce Pang, chief economist and head of research at JLL Greater China, told CGTN.

Globally, there is optimism about the prospects of China's manufacturing industry. 

According to a study by the Washington-based Center for Global Development released on Monday, China's share of global manufacturing jobs will jump to over 43 percent by 2050, being one of the only countries to see growth in such jobs by that time.