China's non-manufacturing PMI up in February

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 51.6 in February, up from 51.1 in January, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Tuesday.

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

The non-manufacturing sector overall picked up its recovery pace last month, according to NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe.

Due to an uptick in the business climate of the services sector, the sub-index for business activities in the sector edged up 0.2 percentage points to 50.5 in February, but still lower than the usual level of Spring Festival holiday months in previous years.

The overall business expectation of the construction sector strengthened, with the sub-index for business activities in the sector standing at 57.6 in February, surging 2.2 percentage points from the previous month.

Tuesday's data also showed that the PMI for China's manufacturing sector came in at 50.2 in February, up from 50.1 in January.