BEIJING — China’s non-manufacturing sector expanded at a faster pace in September, official data showed on Sept 30.

The purchasing managers’ index for the sector came in at 54.9 in September, up from 54.2 in August and 54 in July, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.

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

“[The pickup] shows that the non-manufacturing sector continued to remain stable with a sound momentum,” NBS said in a statement.

The sub-index for new orders rose 0.4 points from the previous month to 51, showing faster growth in market demand.

Sub-index for intermediary prices rose 1.3 points to 55.6, while that for sales prices was up 0.6 points to 51.5.

The NBS also said that the manufacturing sector PMI came in at 50.8 this month, down from 51.3 in August.