FILE: Beijing, China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
1. Sign of National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)
2. Sign of China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP)

FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
3. Various of manufacturing production in progress, worker

Beijing, China - Oct 31, 2026 (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
4. SOUNDBITE (Chinese) Huo Lihui, chief statistician, Service Industry Survey Center, NBS (starting with shot 3):
"By industry, October's PMI data showed that for sectors including railway equipment, shipbuilding, aerospace equipment, computers, communications and electronic equipment, the production and new order indices all stood at 53 or above, indicating relatively high production and demand activity in these industries."

FILE: China - Exact Location and Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
5. Various of factory interior, workers; machinery working
6. Warehouse, packages

FILE: Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, south China - Date Unknown (CCTV - No access Chinese mainland)
7. Aerial shots of vessel at port, containers

The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's manufacturing sector dropped to 49.3 in October, down 0.8 percentage points from the previous month, official data showed on Saturday.

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

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing released the October PMI data on Saturday. Although the manufacturing PMI returned to contraction in October, new growth drivers continued to expand, highlighting their significant role in supporting the sector.

Historical data show that seasonal disturbances are common around this time each year. The current slowdown was primarily driven by a decline in overseas Christmas-related orders after their concentrated release last month, the fading of the consumption peak after the long holiday, and basic raw materials entering their traditional off-season — all pointing to a periodic, short-term adjustment.

Although manufacturing sentiment weakened seasonally in October, divergence across industries was notable. Equipment manufacturing, high-tech manufacturing and other new growth driver sectors continued to expand, helping offset pressure from the downturn in traditional sectors.

Overall manufacturing demand softened in October. The growth in purchase prices for raw materials and factory-gate prices for manufactured goods slowed. Although the two price indices fell, they remained above year-earlier levels, with overall industrial product prices staying relatively high.

"By industry, October's PMI data showed that for sectors including railway equipment, shipbuilding, aerospace equipment, computers, communications and electronic equipment, the production and new order indices all stood at 53 or above, indicating relatively high production and demand activity in these industries," said Huo Lihui, chief statistician at the NBS Service Industry Survey Center.