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Copper output in both January and February slumped to the lowest since the first quarter of 2011, with February output at 437,000 tons, up slightly from 433,000 tonnes in January, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.China's demand for base metals is being blunted by slower economic activity, the latest production data showed on Friday, but expectations of policy easing in coming months had led steel mills to ramp up production.

Zinc and lead shared the same fate, with output slashed by around a third from December. Refinery runs, however, managed to cling to near record levels.

Despite the weakness in industrial metals, analysts said the slew of economic indicators also released on Friday suggested the worst might be over.

'The numbers say that China's economy is slowing more than expected and also more than what people have grown accustomed to. But it's certainly not as bad as what the bears are saying,' said Andrew Driscoll, an analyst at CLSA-Asia Pacific.

'The low inflation number means that Beijing has the capacity to roll out incremental easing and gradually loosen its housing policy in the second quarter, which will lead to a pickup in construction activity and other commodities demand.'

Henan Hongxing Mining Machinery Co., Ltd is a joint-stock mining machinery manufacturing enterprise integrated in scientific research, production and marketing. It is located at the High & New Technology Industries Development Zone of Zhengzhou,China with an area of 50 thousand m2 which includes 15,000 m2 of standard heavy duty industrial workshop. Equipments are more than 160 pieces, including large and medium sized metal processing, riveting and installing equipments. There are more than 660 workers including 80 administrators with secondary and senior occupational titles and engineering technicians. In order to promote the competitive strength, the advanced technologies have been introduced from America, Germany, Japan and Australia, which established the international advanced production line, first-class modern testing base as well as research centers of sand maker, mill and mine-selecting equipment. Scientific management, advanced processing technology and innovative manufacturing theory make the company become the mining machinery manufacturing and exporting base in China.

China's annual consumer inflation slowed sharply to a 20-month low in February, and factory output and retail sales in the world's second-largest economy also cooled more than forecast.

But fixed asset investment, which accounted for 54 percent of China's economic growth in 2011, grew 21.5 percent in the first two months, slightly ahead of the 20 percent forecast.

Chinese demand has been a source of concern for the global market in recent weeks as it has failed to pick up after the week-long Lunar New Year holiday in late January, prompting some to fear the economy could suffer a hard landing.

However, the flurry of data -- the first set of hard numbers for this year -- should help ally some of the gloom that has descended on the world's top commodities buyer after Beijing cut its 2012 growth forecast to eight-year lows of 7.5 percent.

'The lower growth target for 2012 might still be consistent with an actual outcome in the low- to mid-8 percent range. This is still solid growth and is consistent with still solid commodity demand prospects,' said Lachlan Shaw, an analyst with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia.