BEIJING -- China's purchasing managers' index for the manufacturing sector rose to 51.4 percent in October from a month earlier, hitting a new high since May 2012, the National Bureau of Statistics said Friday.

The figure was 0.3 percentage point higher than that for September, the NBS said in a statement.

China's manufacturing PMI has rebounded for four consecutive months till October, showing that the country's manufacturing activities are seeing a steady upward trend, the statement said.

A reading below 50 indicates contraction, while that above 50 signals expansion.