The gauge of manufacturing activity in China indicated expansion for the 13th month in a row last month, Xinhua reports.

The Chinese state-run news agency says the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics manufacturing purchasing managers index rose to 51.7 points last month from 51.4 in July. A reading above 50 indicates expansion in activity while a reading below 50 indicates contraction.

The report quotes a senior statistician of the bureau, Zhao Qinghe, as saying: “The reading, the second-highest so far this year, showed a steady upward trend of China’s manufacturing sector.”

Mr Zhao attributed the expansion indicated to greater domestic demand for consumer goods and greater domestic demand in the high-technology industry.

The non-manufacturing PMI fell to 53.4 points last month from 54.5 the month before, Xinhua says.