The official manufacturing purchasing managers' Index (PMI) rose to 50.2 in June from 49.6 in May, marking the first expansion since February, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.

The 50-point mark separates contraction from growth on a monthly basis.

A Reuters poll had expected the PMI to come in at 50.5.

(Reporting by Ella Cao, Stella Qiu and Ryan Woo; Editing by Sam Holmes)