China's manufacturing sector maintained its expansionary momentum in January, with growth driven primarily by a pickup in new orders, according to data from S and P Global, sponsored by RatingDog, a financial technology and credit research firm based in south China's Shenzhen City.
The country's purchasing managers' index (PMI) for manufacturing stood at 50.3 in January, remaining above the 50.0 expansion threshold for a second consecutive month and marking a three-month high.
The uptick in new orders was bolstered by stronger export demand, particularly from Southeast Asian markets.
However, business confidence has fallen to a nine-month low, raising concerns about rising input costs, which threaten to erode profit margins.
Raw material prices climbed for the seventh straight month in January, posting their sharpest increase since September 2025, according to the report.
China's RatingDog Manufacturing PMI rises to 50.3 in January
At least eight civilians were killed and 95 others wounded in U.S. and Israeli attacks on a bridge in Iran's northern Alborz province on Thursday, the official news agency IRNA reported.
According to the report, the B1 bridge, located in the provincial capital Karaj, is one of the highest bridges in the Middle East and among the most complicated projects in Iran. It was targeted twice with missiles on Thursday.
IRNA cited Qodratollah Seif, the province's deputy governor for political, security and social affairs, as saying that among those killed and injured were inhabitants of Bileqan village, passengers and the families who had gathered in the nearby areas for the Nature Day, a traditional Iranian holiday marking the end of the Nowruz holidays.
He added that there were no military activities in the areas surrounding the bridge, stressing that the structure was under construction and scheduled to be inaugurated in the coming days.
Seif said those injured in the strikes were immediately transferred to nearby medical centers, and some of them were hospitalized.
U.S. President Donald Trump posted a video on the social media Truth Social, showing smoke rising from the B1 bridge in Karaj, hours after threatening to bomb the country "back to the Stone Ages," warning of further destruction unless Iran comes to the table to end the five-week war.
Trump delivered a speech earlier on Wednesday in which he argued that the war launched by the United States and Israel was almost over -- even as he threatened to bomb Iran "extremely hard" if it did not bow to his demands.
Condemning the attacks in a post on X, Iran's Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said, "Striking civilian structures, including unfinished bridges, will not compel Iranians to surrender."
He added, "It only conveys the defeat and moral collapse of an enemy in disarray. Every bridge and building will be built back stronger. What will never recover: damage to America's standing."
On Feb 28, Israel and the United States launched joint attacks on Tehran and several other Iranian cities, killing Iran's then Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with waves of missile and drone strikes targeting Israel and U.S. assets in the Middle East.
8 killed, 95 wounded in US-Israeli attacks on Iran bridge
