Signs point to further expansion

China's manufacturing activities gathered steam in August, adding signs to the stabilizing trend of the economy, but downward pressure persists as trade-related indicators appear to have weakened further, according to economists.

The purchasing managers index for manufacturing, which mainly gauges activities of large-scale companies and State-owned enterprises, stood at 51.3 in August, up by 0.1 percentage point from the previous month, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Friday.

This is the 25th consecutive month that the manufacturing PMI stayed above the 50 level. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 represents contraction.