Stable growth remains the way ahead

Trend positive despite moderate weakening in manufacturing sector

China's manufacturing sector activity, measured by a major official index, weakened moderately in July, but economists said the trend of stable growth in the world's second-largest economy will remain.

The Purchasing Managers' Index, released on Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics, came in at 51.4 for July, down from 51.7 in June, but it remained well above the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction.