BEIJING - China's factory activity shrank at a sharper pace in December as surging COVID-19 infections disrupted production and weighed on demand after Beijing largely removed anti-virus curbs, a private sector survey showed on Tuesday. The Caixin/Markit manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) fell to 49.0 in December from 49.4 in November. The index has stayed below the 50-point that separates growth from contraction for five straight months. The reading was the lowest since September but beat analysts' forecast of 48.8 in a Reuters poll. China's larger official PMI survey on Saturday showed a much sharper decline, with the activity index falling to a near three-year low...Keep on reading: China Dec factory activity extends declines on COVID infections – Caixin PMI