According to the latest figures released, China's official manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index fell to the level of 51.0 in December.

The figure of 51.0 in December showed that the sector still expanded but at a much slower pace. The country had recorded manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index at 51.4 in November, according to the data released by the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing and the National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement on Wednesday.

The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing released its data with the National Bureau of Statistics. The December PMI was lower than a median 51.2 forecast of eight economists in a poll organised by Dow Jones. A rating of above 50 indicates expansion and that of below 50 shows contraction.

The data showed that new orders and new export orders sub-indexes all recorded a fall during the month from November. The China Logistics Information Center wrote in a report that Chinese Manufacturing PMI fell to an annual rate of 51.0 during the month. The latest data showed that the manufacturing sector might be slowing down in the world's second largest economy.