Output declines

CHINA'S manufacturing contracted for a fifth month last month as recessions in the United States, 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 yesterday in an e-mailed statement. A reading below 50 reflects a contraction.