Robotic arms produce robots at a factory of Estun Automation in Nanjing, East China's Jiangsu Province. Photo: VCG

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector stood at 49.2 in November, up 0.2 percentage point from a month earlier, indicating improvement in the country's manufacturing activity, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Sunday.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction.

In breakdown, the sub-index for production stood at 50 percent, up 0.3 percentage point from the October, and the sub-index for new order came in 49.2 percent, up 0.4 percentage point from the previous month.

Notably, the sub-index for production returned to the critical level of 50 percent, which indicated improvement at both the production and demand ends of the manufacturing sector, Huo Lihui, a NBS chief statistician, was quoted as saying in a statement seen on NBS' website on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the PMI for high-tech manufacturing industry stood at 50.1 percent, staying above the 50-percent reading for 10th consecutive month, which mirrored the continuous expansion of relevant industries, according to NBS.

With regards to market expectation, the business activity expectation index reached 53.1 percent, up 0.3 percentage point from that of October, indicating that manufacturing enterprises have become more confident about near-term market developments, NBS data showed.

In October, China's manufacturing PMI stood at 49, down 0.8 percentage points from the previous month, official data showed.

Chinese observers said that the slight rebound in November manufacturing PMI indicates a recovery in market confidence, meanwhile, the overarching goal listed in the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) also had a positive impact on business sentiment.  

Though economic downward pressure exists, it is expected that the index could further rebound in December, a critical window for pro-growth policy implementation and capital allocation. Meanwhile, additional demand from the launch of the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) will be released, which, coupled with steady recovery in foreign trade amid a stabilizing external environment, will further inject new impetus into China's manufacturing activities, analysts said. 

Global Times