China's manufacturing sector growed at its slowest level in nine months in May, with its Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) down 0.9 basis points month-on-month to 52 percent, according to the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing (CFLP).

May's PMI figure, a gauge of of the manufacturing expansion, marks a second consecutive decline in the country.

China's PMI in the first four months of this year was 52.9, 52.2, 53.4 and 52.9 percent, respectively.

A reading above 50 percent indicates economic expansion. One below 50 percent indicates contraction. China's PMI has been staying above the boom-or-bust line for 26 months in a row.