The manufacturing sector in China continued to contract in January, albeit at a slower pace, with a manufacturing PMI score of 49.5, according to rttnews

That beat expectations for a score of 49.3 and is up from 49.4 in December, although it remains beneath the boom-or-bust line of 50 that separates expansion from contraction.

The bureau also said its non-manufacturing index came in at 54.7, topping forecasts for 53.9 and up from 53.8 in the previous month.

The composite index had a score of 53.2, up from 52.6 a month earlier.