Factory activity as measured by the Institute for Supply Management, formerly the NationalAssociation of Purchasing Management, rose to an index level of 48.2 in December.
Recent bad news included a sharp fall in the NationalAssociation of Purchasing Management's index of manufacturing activity in December: it hit its lowest level since April 1991.
Huang Shengming, secretary-general of the China National Food Industry Association, says that Chinese people associate foreign brands with quality, and that foreign management practices have sharpened up local companies.