The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector came in at 50.2 in February, marking a 1.1 percentage point increase from the previous month and signifying a return to the expansion zone, official data showed on Saturday.
A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction.
Zhao Qinghe, a statistician from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), stated that the February PMI data was influenced by factors such as enterprises resuming production after the Spring Festival holiday.
The NBS data also revealed that the sub-indices for production and new orders were 52.5 and 51.1, respectively.
Additionally, the February PMI for the equipment manufacturing sector and high-tech manufacturing sector stood at 50.8 and 50.9, respectively, according to the NBS.
