China's non-manufacturing PMI improves to 50.1 in March

　　BEIJING, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 50.1 in March, up 0.6 percentage points from the previous month, official data revealed on Tuesday.

　　This reflected improved business sentiment in the non-manufacturing sector, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while a reading below 50 reflects contraction.

　　The index measuring business activity in the service sector stood at 50.2 in March, up 0.5 percentage points from February. Activity was particularly strong in industries such as railway transportation, telecommunications, broadcasting and satellite transmission services, as well as monetary and financial services and insurance, all of which posted readings above 55.

　　By contrast, the retail, accommodation, catering and real estate sectors registered weak activity, with readings below the boom-bust line.

　　The business expectation index for the non-manufacturing sector remained relatively high at 54.2, indicating that non-manufacturing enterprises maintained an optimistic outlook in terms of market developments. ■