China's non-manufacturing sector grows steadily in April

China's non-manufacturing sector saw steady growth in April, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Tuesday.

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's non-manufacturing sector dipped 0.5 percentage points in April to 54.3 per cent. Despite the slower growth, the PMI has remained above 54 per cent for four consecutive months.

Of the 21 industries surveyed, 19 have continued to expand, showing the general trend of the service industry is improving.

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"Judging from all the sectors, the business activity indexes for air transportation, express mail service, hotels, telecommunication, leasing, commercial services, and neighborhood services are higher than last month, indicating these sectors are expanding and their business climates are improving," said Shi Zhaohui, director of the NBS's Enterprise Performance Department.

Meanwhile, the construction industry's business activity index stood at 60.1 per cent in April.

"The construction sector index remained higher than 60 per cent, which shows that fixed-asset investment is playing its role in driving the Chinese economy along a steady development track," said Cai Jin, vice president of China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

The non-manufacturing PMI tracks sectors including construction, software, aviation, railway transport, real estate, and the service sector. A PMI reading above 50 percent indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 per cent reflects contraction.