MNI BRIEF: China Dec Manufacturing PMI Rises To 9-Month High

China's Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index rose by 0.9 points to 50.1 in December from November, rising above the breakeven 50 mark for the first time since April, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed Wednesday.

Both the production and new orders sub-indices were up by 1.7 and 1.6 points, to 51.7 and 50.8, with new orders rising into the expansionary territory for the first time since the second half of the year.

The non-manufacturing PMI registered 50.2, up 0.7 points from the previous month. The business activity sub-index for the service sector increased by 0.2 points to 49.7, while that of the construction industry was up 3.2 points to 52.8, as companies rushed to speed up construction progress before the New Year holidays.