Manufacturing activity in the Mainland increased last month for the fourth month in a row, Xinhua reports.

The Chinese government-run news agency, citing the National Bureau of Statistics as its source, says the Purchasing Managers Index for manufacturing rose to 51.7 points last month from 51.2 the month before. A reading above 50 points indicates an increase in activity while a reading below 50 indicates a decrease.

The report quotes a senior statistician of the statistics bureau, Zhao Qinghe, as attributing the steadily increasing trend in the manufacturing PMI to greater domestic demand, a boom in manufacturing of consumer and high-tech goods, and more foreign trade.

Non-manufacturing PMI rose to 54.7 points last month from 54 the month before, Xinhua says.