BEIJING -- The Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) of China's non-manufacturing sector, a key economic indicator, dropped 2.6 percentage points to 53.7 percent in September, an official survey showed on Wednesday.

The decline indicated the non-manufacturing economy slowed by a certain degree, said Cai Jin, vice chairman of the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP) which releases the data.

A PMI reading above 50 percent indicates expansion from the previous month, while readings below this mark indicate contraction.

China Economy by Numbers - Aug