BEIJING, Jan 31 (Reuters) - China's manufacturing activity in January contracted for the fourth straight month, an official factory survey showed on Wednesday, suggesting the sprawling sector was struggling to regain momentum at the start of 2024.

The official purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to 49.2 in January from 49.0 in December, below the 50-mark separating growth from contraction and was in line with a median forecast of 49.2 in a Reuters poll.

To spur an underperforming economy, China's central bank governor Pan Gongsheng unexpectedly announced a cut to banks' reserve requirement ratio at a press conference last week. (Reporting by Ellen Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)