BEIJING — The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for China's non-manufacturing sector came in at 53.5 in June, down from 55.2 in May, the National Bureau of Statistics said on June 30.

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

Expansion of the non-manufacturing sector continued to gather momentum but at a slower pace, said NBS senior statistician Zhao Qinghe.

In June, the sub-index for business activities in the services sector stood at 52.3, down 2 percentage points from that in May.

Boosted by the "618" online shopping festival, sectors including express delivery, telecommunications and satellite transmission, software and information technology saw their sub-indexes for business activities stay at above 57, indicating rapid growth of business volume in these areas.

The sub-index tracking business activity expectations for the services sector hit 60.4, remaining above 60 for five consecutive months, showing that most service enterprises are optimistic about market prospects.

NBS data also showed the strong performance of China's construction industry as building activities continue to grow at a fast pace, with the sub-index for business activities standing at 60.1 in June, unchanged from that in May.

The data on June 30 also showed that the PMI for China's manufacturing sector came in at 50.9 in June, slightly down from 51 in May.