The composite PMI output index rose from 49.3 to 49.5.
Several PMI sub-indexes returned to expansion in August.
The sub-index on production advanced to 50.4, from 49.9 in July. The new orders sub-index recovered to 50.6 from 48.5, while new export orders improved to 50.1 from 49.6.
Huo Lihui, a chief statistician with the National Bureau of Statistics, said in a statement that the August PMI data reflected an improvement in the world’s second-largest economy.
“Manufacturing activity rebounded thanks to strong export demand,” Nguyen Hoang Nam, a China economist at Capital Economics, wrote in a research note.
Official data also showed the PMI for China’s non-manufacturing sector came in at 49 in August, unchanged from the level in July.
PMI readings above 50 indicate expansion while readings below 50 signal contraction. (Xinhua/AP)
