BEIJING — The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector ticked up to 50.9 in June from 50.6 in May, the National Bureau of Statistics said on June 30.

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

Business activities of the country's manufacturing sector continued to pick up in June amid the country's efforts to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe said.

The PMI for 14 of the 21 surveyed sectors registered a reading above 50, an increase of five from last month, NBS data showed.

The sub-index for production edged up 0.7 percentage points to 53.9 in June. The sub-index for new orders picked up 0.5 percentage points to 51.4, rising for two consecutive months, NBS data showed.

As major global economies resumed business successively, external demand recovered but remained sluggish, with the sub-index measuring new export orders increasing 7.3 percentage points to 42.6, NBS data showed.

June 30's data also showed that the PMI for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 54.2 in June, up from 53.6 in May.