BEIJING - Chinese manufacturing business activity continued to expand in September while manufacturers' operating conditions saw no improvement against the previous month amid subdued growth momentum, official data showed on Wednesday.

The manufacturing purchasing manager's index (PMI), a key measure of factory activity in China, posted at 51.1 in September, unchanged from August's reading, according to the data released by the National Bureau of Statistics and the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing.

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