China's manufacturing PMI falls in December

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China’s official manufacturing Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) fell to 49.4 in December, down from 50.0 last month, official data released Monday.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion in economic activity on a monthly basis, while below 50 indicate contraction.

The slowdown is mainly attributed to the downward pressure of the market demand and the impact of the price fluctuation of some major international commodities, according to Zhao Qinghe, a senior statistician from China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

A worker operating at a manufacturing base /VCG Photo

Despite the pullback, the production index in December continued to grow at 50.8 due to eased production cost for enterprises, said Zhao Qinghe.

Among the 21 industries surveyed, 14 posted a high production index with food, beverage, railway, aviation and equipment industries reaching above 57.0.

NBS data also showed that the non-manufacturing PMI registered 53.8 in December, up 0.4 percentage points compared with last month.

Meanwhile, the composite PMI output index, one of the five indicators of PMI, reached 52.6, edging down 0.2 percentage point than last month, maintaining a steady expansion trend.

The average of PMI throughout the year stood at 50.9, showing a relatively steady growth amid fiercer international trade frictions and a slowing global economy.