The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) of China's manufacturing sector rose to 51.7 percent in August, up 0.5 percentage points from July, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said Wednesday.

August's figure marked an end of decline in three consecutive months, and it was the 18th straight month that the index was above 50 percent.

The PMI includes a package of indices to measure manufacturing sector performance. A reading above 50 percent indicates economic expansion, while that below 50 percent indicates contraction.