The National Bureau of Statistics released data showing that in August, the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for the manufacturing industry was 49.1%, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, indicating a slight decline in manufacturing activity.

From the perspective of classification indices, among the five classification indices that make up the manufacturing PMI, the production index, new order index, raw material inventory index, employment index, and supplier delivery time index are all below the critical point.

The production index was 49.8%, a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, below the critical point, indicating a slowdown in manufacturing production activities. The new order index was 48.9%, a decrease of 0.4 percentage points from the previous month, indicating a decline in manufacturing market demand.

The raw material inventory index was 47.6%, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the previous month, indicating a decrease in the inventory of major raw materials in the manufacturing industry compared to the previous month. The employment index was 48.1%, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the previous month, indicating a decrease in the employment situation in the manufacturing industry. The supplier delivery time index was 49.6%, an increase of 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, still below the critical point, indicating a continued delay in delivery time from raw material suppliers in the manufacturing industry.

In August, the non-manufacturing business activity index was 50.3%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from the previous month, indicating a slight recovery in the non-manufacturing sector. In August, the comprehensive PMI output index was 50.1%, a decrease of 0.1 percentage points from the previous month, indicating that overall production and operation activities of enterprises in China maintained a small expansion.