China's non-manufacturing activities eased pace but maintained steady expansion in April.
The non-manufacturing purchasing managers' index came in at 54.3 this month, down from 54.8 in March, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a statement on Tuesday.
A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below reflects contraction.
The service sector recorded stable performance, with the sub-index measuring business activity in the industry standing at 53.3, down 0.3 percentage points from that in March.
Indices for sectors including water transport, air transport, postal industry, monetary and financial services, telecom, and insurance all stood above 57, indicating robust business growth.
Sub-index for new orders dropped 1.7 points from the previous month to 50.1, while that for sales prices edged down 0.5 points to 50.5, both above the threshold, according to the NBS.