Services sector Photo: VCG

China's services activity expanded at a robust pace in February, with the services purchasing managers' index (PMI) hitting 56.7, while the manufacturing PMI rose to 52.1, the highest reading in more than five years, according to a private survey on Wednesday.   

The reading reflected a steady recovery momentum in China's industrial economy, according to the survey published by RatingDog, a Chinese consultant firm, on its official WeChat account.

In its analysis, the survey noted that market demand momentum in the services sector improved markedly, with faster business growth mainly driven by domestic promotional strategies and stronger client interest. At the same time, new export business expanded at the fastest pace in a year, while expectations for future business activity remained firmly optimistic across the sector.

On the manufacturing front, both supply and demand expanded robustly in February. Total new orders expanded for the ninth consecutive month, with the growth rate accelerating sharply to the highest level since December 2020, according to the survey. 

The survey also showed that external demand made a notable contribution, as new export orders ended the previously moderate trend and registered the highest reading since September 2020, indicating robust momentum in overseas markets.

Driven by synchronized output growth in both manufacturing and services, the composite PMI output index climbed to 55.4 in February, marking the fastest expansion in 33 months, according to the survey. 

Also on Wednesday, the official non-manufacturing PMI data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) stood at 49.5 percent in February, up 0.1 percentage points from the previous month. The manufacturing PMI came in at 49 percent, down 0.3 percentage points month-on-month, according to the NBS. 

Huo Lihui, chief statistician at the Service Survey Center of the NBS, said that historical data show PMIs often fluctuate in the month of the Spring Festival. In 2026, the holiday period was extended and entirely concentrated in the second half of February, exerting certain impacts on enterprise production and operations, leading to a general decline in manufacturing activity, said Huo.

Still, business expectations improved, with the production and operation activity expectation index reaching 53.2 percent, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous month, indicating that manufacturing enterprises have strengthened their confidence in market development after the Spring Festival, the official said.

Meanwhile, the services sector's business activity level rebounded, with the index coming in at 49.7 percent, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous month. By sector, driven by the Spring Festival holiday effect, business volume in industries related to travel and consumption grew rapidly. Among them, the business activity indices of accommodation, catering, and culture, sports, and entertainment were all above 60, according to Huo. 

The RatingDog survey sometimes diverges from the NBS' PMI due to differences in survey coverage and sampling. The RatingDog survey is a gauge of smaller, export-oriented service providers along China's east coast, while the official PMI mainly tracks large and medium-sized firms, according to Reuters. 

Global Times