The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector came in at 51.9 in December, edging down 0.2 percentage points from November, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Thursday, December 31.

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

The PMI remained in expansion zone for the 10th consecutive month, indicating that the country's manufacturing sector continued its steady recovery, data from the NBS showed.

The sub-index for production stood at 54.2 in December, down 0.5 percentage points from November, while that for new orders dropped 0.3 percentage points to 53.6.

Thursday's data also showed that the PMI for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 55.7 in December, down from 56.4 in November.