BEIJING, July 31 (Reuters) - China's manufacturing activity fell for a fourth straight month in July while the services and construction sectors teetered on the brink of contraction, official surveys showed on Monday, threatening growth prospects for the third quarter.
Construction sector activity for July was its weakest since COVID-19-related workplace disruptions dissipated around February, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.
The non-manufacturing PMI, which incorporates sub-indexes for service sector activity and construction, dropped to 51.5 from June's 53.2.
"Meanwhile, we're seeing improvements in inventory levels, suggesting that with destocking nearing its end, China's manufacturing sector bottomed out in the second quarter," he added.
"Unless concrete support is rolled out soon, the recent downturn in demand risks becoming self-reinforcing."
Persons:
Xu Tianchen, Julian Evans, Pritchard, Joe Cash, Sam Holmes, Edmund Klamann
Organizations:
National Bureau, Statistics, Communist Party, PMI, Economist Intelligence Unit, destocking, China, State, Capital Economics, Thomson
Locations:
BEIJING, China