The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector rose to 50.3 percent in March, up from 50.2 percent in February, according to official data released on Tuesday.
It is the first month-on-month rise since November, according to a statement jointly released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.
A reading below 50 indicates contraction, while above 50 signals expansion.
The index shows China's manufacturing sector is stable, said Zhao Qinghe, a senior analyst with the NBS.
Zhao attributed the rise to the resumption of production and business after the Spring Festival holiday.
In March, the sub-index for production stood at 52.7 percent, up 0.1 percentage points from February. The sub-index for new orders also gained 0.1 percentage points to 50.6 percent, the statement said.
The two sub-indexes for foreign trade both rose. The sub-index for new export orders gained 1.9 percentage points to 50.1 percent, while the index for imports climbed 2.6 percentage points to 49.1 percent.
HSBC China‘s preliminary manufacturing PMI sinks
2014-03-24HSBC China‘s preliminary manufacturing PMI at eight-month low
2014-03-24China‘s manufacturing PMI drops to 50.2 pct in February
2014-03-01China‘s manufacturing PMI drops to 50.5 pct in January
2014-02-01China‘s manufacturing PMI falls to 6-month low
2014-01-30Manufacturing PMI expected to hit 6-month low
2014-01-23Copyright ©1999-2018
Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.