China's manufacturing sector consolidated its recovery in July, with businesses benefiting from a revived domestic economy and reporting a slight pick-up in external demand, a key survey released on Saturday showed.
China's official purchasing managers' index (PMI) for July inched up to 53.3 from 53.2 in June, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) said.
It was the fifth straight month that the official PMI has stood above the watershed mark of 50, indicating an expansion of activity. It was also the third consecutive month that the PMI reading had increased ever so slightly, showing that the recovery had steadily found firmer footing.