Manufacturing activity in China and other Asian economies remained weak in October, surveys showed Tuesday, as US and European economic woes hit demand for clothes, shoes and electronic gadgets.

China is heavily reliant on exports to drive its economy -- the second largest in the world -- and the downturn in key US and European markets is already hurting manufacturers who employ millions of workers.

The official purchasing managers' index (PMI) -- based on a survey of 820 manufacturers -- dropped to 50.4 in October from 51.2 in September, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said in a statement.

HSBC, meanwhile, said its survey of more than 430 purchasing managers showed activity expanded slightly, with its index hitting 51.0 in October compared with 49.9 in September and the first time it has gone above 50 since June.

A reading above 50 indicates the sector is expanding, while a reading below 50 suggests a contraction.

But analysts said the government's broader PMI survey was a more accurate reflection of the country's manufacturing sector, which they expect to deteriorate in the coming months.

"The policy environment is relaxed a little bit but it will not be reflected by the October data so quickly," said Ren Xianfang, a Beijing-based analyst with IHS Global Insight.

"October was actually the most pessimistic period for the manufacturing industry."

Adding to pressure on manufacturers is Beijing's tightening monetary policy as it tries to bring down inflation as prices sit near three-year highs above six percent.

As well as hiking interest rates five times since October last year, leaders have also ramped up the amount of money banks must hold in reserve, effectively restricting the amount they can lend, in turn weighing on economic growth.

BNP Paribas chief China economist Ken Peng said the slowdown in manufacturing "has not ended" but there was no need for sharp reversal in government policy at this stage.

"It is not an emergency call for policy to reverse course," Peng told AFP.

"If PMI is above 50 we are not in recession, it is still a soft landing."

An official index measuring new export orders fell to 48.6 in October from 50.9 in September while the input price index, a gauge of raw material costs, plunged to 46.2 from 56.6, the federation said.

"The fall in the October PMI indicates that economic growth is likely to slow further in the future," Zhang Liqun, a government analyst, said in the statement.

China's economic growth eased to 9.1 percent in the third quarter from 9.5 percent in the second quarter as government efforts to tame inflation, as well as economic turbulence in Europe and the United States, curbed activity.

Premier Wen Jiabao indicated last week that the government might relax tight credit restrictions as small exporters struggle to pay their bills and falling property sales threaten to drive debt-laden developers to the wall.

HSBC said manufacturing activity in Taiwan contracted further in October to 43.7 from 44.5 in September, while South Korea saw a slight improvement with its reading increasing to 48 in October from 47.5 in the previous month.