China's manufacturing PMI edges down to 50.4 in July

Workers assemble vehicles at the general assembly line of FAW Jiefang, a truck-manufacturing subsidiary of First Automotive Works (FAW) Group Co. Ltd., in Changchun, northeast China's Jilin Province, Sept. 1, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhang Nan)

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector came in at 50.4 in July, edging down from 50.9 in June, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Saturday.

A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below reflects contraction.