China manufacturing shrinks for 5th month on weak demand for exports

China's manufacturing contracted for a fifth month in December as recessions in the US, Europe and Japan sapped demand for exports, a survey showed.

The CLSA China Purchasing Managers' Index stood at a seasonally adjusted 41.2, compared with a record low of 40.9 in November, CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets said on Friday in an emailed statement. A reading below 50 reflects a contraction.

Manufacturers in industries from metals to toys are reducing production or closing down. Aluminum Corp of China Ltd, the nation's biggest maker of the metal, and Yunnan Tin Co, the world's largest producer of tin, cut output as prices fell.