BEIJING, March 1 -- The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 56.3 in February, up from 54.4 in January, the National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday.

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

The service sector maintained expansion in February thanks to accelerated business recovery after the Spring Festival, with the sub-index for business activities reaching 55.6, up from 54 in January, NBS data showed.

The sub-indexes for business activities in road and air transport, postal service and accommodation all stood above 60, indicating active market activities and rising business volume.

The sub-index of the construction sector stood at 60.2 in February, up from 56.4 in January, as work resumption in construction projects nationwide began last month.

Demand in the non-manufacturing market also recovered, with the sub-index for new orders rising 3.3 percentage points from January to 55.8 in February.

Wednesday's data also revealed that the PMI for China's manufacturing sector came in at 52.6 in February, up from 50.1 in January.