China's non-manufacturing activities continued to recover in July amid government efforts to spur consumption, official data showed Sunday.

 

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 53.8 in July, down 0.9 percentage points from June, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.

 

Boosted by the pro-growth policies, the service sector continued to recover in July, noted NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe. The sub-index for business activities in the sector was 52.8, staying in the expansion range.

 

Among the 21 sectors surveyed, 16 industries were in the expansion territory, with the sub-indexes of air transportation, accommodation and catering activities all standing above 60, a relatively high level.

 

"With the suppressed consumer demand being unleashed, these sectors rebounded at an accelerated pace," Zhao said.

 

The confidence of non-manufacturing companies has strengthened, with the sub-index tracking operation activity expectations of this sector standing at 58.8, staying in the expansion territory for the second month in a row.

 

Expansion of the construction sector accelerated in July, with the sub-index for business activities in the sector standing at 59.2, increasing 2.6 percentage points from the previous month.