China's August purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 49.1 from 49.4 in July, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Saturday.
A worker at a manufacturing company in Qingzhou Economic Development Zone, East China's Shandong Province, Aug 31, 2024.
The drop was mainly due to a decline in new orders caused by extreme weather, said NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe. However, the PMI of high-tech and equipment manufacturing industries came in at 51.7 percent and 51.2 percent, respectively, shifting into the expansion territory.
China's non-manufacturing PMI rose to 50.3 in August from 50.2 in July, according to the NBS data.
The official composite PMI in August, which covers both manufacturing and services activities, edged down slightly to 50.1 from 50.2 in July.