According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) in the manufacturing sector fell to 50.8 in September after 51.3 in August. The score was expected to decline to 51.2.
The index has remained above the line of 50 for more than two years. At the same time, the sub-index for production within the manufacturing PMI fell to 53 from 53.3 in August.
Last month, the services PMI in China rose to 54.9 from 54.2, the statistics shows.
The composite PMI, which includes data on industrial production and the service sector, increased to 54.1 in September from 53.8 in August. The industrial PMI, calculated by Caixin Media Co. and Markit, dropped to 50 from 50.6.
After 4 months, the indicator dropped to its lowest level in 16 months. It has remained above the line of 50 since May 2017, analysts said.
