The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector came in at 51.5 in September, up from 51 in August, the NBS said on 30 Sep.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below reflects contraction. It is the seventh month in a row that the figure has remained in the expansion territory.

The data also showed that the PMI for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 55.9 in September, up from 55.2 last month.