Economic Watch: China's July PMIs point to improving economic structure

BEIJING, July 31 (Xinhua) -- China's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector in July indicated an improving economic structure despite a reading of contraction due to seasonal factors, with equipment and high-tech manufacturing maintaining expansion, official data showed on Friday.

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector stood at 49.2 this month, down 1.1 percentage points from June, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

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

NBS chief statistician Huo Lihui attributed the fall to multiple factors.

"Factors include a relatively high base from the rapid manufacturing growth in the previous period and the traditional off-season for production in some manufacturing industries," said Huo.

Wen Tao, an expert with the China Logistics Information Center, said historical data reveal that manufacturing PMI tends to decline in July in most years, affected by seasonal factors such as high temperatures, heavy rain and typhoons.

Despite the overall decline, equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing continued to play a supporting and leading role, with their PMI readings at 51.4 and 53.3, respectively, significantly higher than the manufacturing sector as a whole, Huo noted.

General equipment, computer and communication electronic equipment industries saw both production and new orders indices rise above 53 percent, indicating relatively high market activity and fast growth in production and demand, Huo added.

New growth drivers have sustained sound momentum with strengthened risk-resistance capacity, effectively offsetting fluctuations in traditional industries, Wen said.

Non-manufacturing activities also showed structural improvements. The sub-index for business activity in the broad service sector declined to 49.3 in July from 50.4 the previous month, yet the PMI readings for postal services, telecommunications, broadcasting and satellite transmission services, as well as culture, sports and entertainment, remained in the high prosperity range of above 55, Friday's data revealed.

Driven by summer holiday consumption, residents' leisure, entertainment and travel increased, with business activity indices for air transport, accommodation, and the culture, sports and entertainment industries rebounding markedly month on month, Huo said.

Business expectations remained upbeat in July. The business activity expectation index for the construction sector rose to 51.8, up from 51.1 in June, while that for the service sector came in at 56, unchanged from the previous month, the data showed.

"Enterprises in the manufacturing sector are generally optimistic about market development," Huo said, citing the sub-index of 54.1 for production and business expectations.

In particular, the sub-indices spanning the manufacturing sectors of food, wine, beverages and refined tea, as well as railway, ship, aerospace and other transport equipment manufacturing, exceeded 60 percent, reflecting stronger confidence in near-term development, according to the statistician.

Friday's data also revealed that the sub-index for employees went up 0.5 percentage points from the previous month to 49, indicating an improvement in the employment climate in the manufacturing sector, the NBS noted.

Looking ahead, manufacturing is expected to enjoy a sound foundation for stabilizing and rebounding in August, Wen said.

As the impact of extreme weather fades, enterprise capacity and supply chain operations in previously affected areas will return to normal, while policies including the six major infrastructure networks initiative, large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs, will continue to boost effective investment and empower the sector's transformation and upgrading, the expert added.

A meeting held by the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee on Thursday stressed accelerating the transition from old growth drivers to new ones, vowing to promote sustained innovation-driven, high-quality and sound economic development, ensuring a good start to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).

It also called for timely introduction of pragmatic and effective incremental policies, amid efforts to step up counter-cyclical adjustments and expand domestic demand. ■