BEIJING — The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 56.4 in November, up from 56.2 in October, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Nov 30.

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

The non-manufacturing PMI has remained above 50 for nine consecutive months, data from the NBS showed.

In November, the service sector continued to accelerate its pace of recovery, with the sub-index for business activities expanding to 55.7 from 55.5 in the previous month.

Thanks to the country's targeted and timely measures against COVID-19, the consumer market recovered in an orderly manner, and the service sector rebounded steadily, said NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe.

A breakdown of the data showed the sub-indexes for business activities of rail transportation, civil aviation and finance remained above 60, Zhao added.

The construction industry continued its robust growth, as the sub-index for business activities stood at 60.5, up from 59.8 in October.