June 1 (Bloomberg) -- Manufacturing in China, the world's fastest-growing major economy, expanded at a slower pace in May as export growth weakened.

The Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 53.3 from a record 59.2 in April, the China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said today in an e-mailed statement.

Weaker expansions in economies around the world are cooling demand for made-in-China goods, leading the central bank to last week forecast a ``moderate'' slowing of economic growth this year. Indexes of new orders, export orders, and output all fell in today's survey.

``We expect Chinese exports to continue slowing for the rest of this year, as U.S. housing prices and consumption decline,'' said Xing Ziqiang, a Beijing-based economist at China International Capital Corp.

Xing said the May 12 earthquake that devastated parts of Sichuan province was a factor in the slowing. The federation's statement didn't mention it.

The index of export orders fell to 53.4 from 58.9. The index of new orders declined to 55.4 from 65. The output index dropped to 55.7 from 66.5.

``Export growth slowed down in May,'' said Zhang Liqun, a senior research fellow at the State Council's Development Research Center.

Fourth-Biggest Economy

China's economy, the world's fourth-biggest, expanded 10.6 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier. The pace for all of last year was 11.9 percent, the quickest in 13 years.

A U.S. slowdown and a global credit shortage have trimmed demand for the nation's shipments. Export growth cooled to 21.9 percent in April from 30.6 percent in March. The May figure is yet to be released.

The index is based on a survey of more than 700 companies in 20 industries, including energy, metallurgy, textile, automobile and electronics. A reading above 50 reflects an expansion, below 50 a contraction.

The measure of input prices fell to 73.9 from 75.1, the highest on record, the federation said.

The survey, jointly released with the statistics bureau, started in January 2005. It also tracks changes in employment, inventories and output prices. The data is seasonally adjusted.

To contact the reporters on this story: Li Yanping in Beijing at yli16@bloomberg.net Josephine Lau in Beijing at jlau22@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: May 31, 2008 23:02 EDT