BEIJING, Aug. 31 -- China's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the non-manufacturing sector came in at 50.3 in August, up from 50.2 in July, official data showed Saturday.

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

The service sector sub-index stood at 50.2 in August, up from 50 in July, while that of construction fell to 50.6 from 51.2 the previous month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

A breakdown of the data showed that the railway transport, air transport, postal services, culture, sports and entertainment sectors recorded fast expansion in August, lifted by the country's summer spending boom, while those related to capital market services, the property sector and resident services logged contraction, according to NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe.

The business expectation index of the service sector remained at a high level of 55.4, while that for the construction sector improved markedly to 54.7 in August, according to Zhao.

Saturday's NBS data also showed the country's manufacturing PMI dipped to 49.1 in August from 49.4 the previous month.

Zhao attributed the weakness in manufacturing activity to high temperatures and rainstorms, as well as a production off-season for some industries.

The sub-indices for production and new orders both dipped in August, but those for high-tech manufacturing and equipment manufacturing climbed evidently to rise above the boom-bust line of 50, according to the NBS.

Zhang Liqun, a researcher at the Development Research Center of the State Council, said the authorities need to make greater efforts to strengthen counter-cyclical adjustment and boost effective demand.

China's economy grew 5 percent year on year in the first half of 2024, as the world's second-largest economy faced a more complex external environment, as well as new challenges from deepening structural adjustment domestically. In the second quarter, it expanded 4.7 percent from one year earlier.

The country has unveiled an array of measures to boost the economic recovery, including lowering the reserve requirement ratio for financial institutions and pushing forward a program of large-scale equipment upgrades and trade-ins of bulk durable consumer goods.

Wen Tao, an analyst at the China Logistics Information Center, expected the country's economic recovery to remain on a good footing as the pro-growth measures continued to take effect, while seasonal factors weighing on economic growth, including high temperatures and frequent rainfall, gradually wane.