CHINA FACTORY EXPANSION SLOWS

China's manufacturing expansion slows again in January.

CHINA'S manufacturing expansion slowed for the second consecutive month in January as slack demand  hit the economy amid-

Efforts to control pollution and reduce overcapacity, official data showed Wednesday.

The manufacturing purchasing manger's index [PMI], a gauge of factory conditions, stood at 51.3 in January, the National Bureau of Statistics [NBS] said, compared to 51.6 in the previous month.

A new composite PMI index covering both manufacturing and services was released on Wednesday for the first time. It came in at 54.6.

''The manufacturing industry has maintained the momentum of steady expansion,'' NBS analyst Zhao Qinghe said in a statement.

The upcoming Chinese New Year holiday boosted manufacturing in consumer goods including agriculture and sideline occupation food processing, food and beverage, textile and pharmaceutical, Zhao said.

[Agencies].