China's non-manufacturing sector expands in April

BEIJING - China's non-manufacturing sector continued to expand in April, though at a slower pace compared with a month ago, official data showed Sunday.

The non-manufacturing purchasing managers' index came in at 54 in April, down from 55.1 in March, according to the the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The reading above 50 suggests continuing strength in the country's non-manufacturing sector, though the growth pace has slowed, said NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe.

The service sector, which accounts for more than half of the country's gross domestic product (GDP) last year, slowed its growth pace in April.

The index for commercial activities in the service industry came in at 52.6, down from 54.2 registered in March.

Notably, the index for new orders in the service sector fell below the boom-bust line of 50 to 49.7, indicating sluggish market demand.

A slower expansion in manufacturing-related service sector was the main reason behind the tepid growth, according to Zhao.

China's manufacturing sector saw its expansion slowed in April, with the manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) falling to 51.2 from 51.8 in March, according to NBS data.

Still, service industries including retail, railway and airline transport, and courier services reported faster growth, with the sub-indices standing above 55.

Activities in construction industry was also robust as demand for infrastructure kept rising this year, according to Zhao. The sub-index for construction commercial activities came in at 61.6, well above the boom-bust line of 50.