China’s manufacturing activity remained flat in May, according to preliminary data released by the National Bureau of Statistics of China on Wednesday.

The manufacturing purchasing managers’ index (PMI) was 50.1 in May, the same as in the previous month. A reading above 50 indicates an expansion in activity while a reading below 50 represents contraction.

Zhao Qinghe, a senior statistician at the bureau, said – as quoted by Chinese state-run newspaper China Daily – that manufacturing activity maintained steady growth in May, partly due to the expansion of the high-technology and consumer goods segments.

China’s non-manufacturing PMI was 53.1 in May, down from 53.5 in April, the newspaper added, quoting a joint report by the National Bureau of Statistics of China and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.