China’s factory activity grew at the slowest pace in five months in January, hit by a wave of domestic coronavirus infections, but still in line with the ongoing recovery in the world’s second-largest economy, Reuters reports.
“The recent localised epidemic has had a certain impact on the production and operation of some enterprises, and the overall expansion of the manufacturing industry has slowed,” said Zhao Qinghe, an official at the statistics bureau.
The new coronavirus outbreak, mostly in the north, is expected to be a temporary restraining factor while China’s vast industrial sector continues to find strength in resilient export demand.
