. >>> the secretary-general of japan's ruling democratic party, katsuya okada, will visit china with other dpj lawmakers in mid-december. >> translator: we'd like to deepen the trust that the dpj had previously developed with the chinese communist party. we hope to have high level of exchanges of opinion. >> okada hopes to improve bilateral ties that have been strained since the maritime collision near the senkaku islands in the east china sea. the secretary-general said he hopes to exchange views over the future of japan/china relations. >>> we make way for ines here with the latest in biz. >> thank you very much, james. >>> u.s. factory outlets are expanding. manufacturing grew in october at the fastest pace in five months due to increased orders and production. the institute for supply management released its manufacturing index on monday. the gauge rose to 56.9 in october from 54.4 in september. readings above 50 indicate an expansion. economists had been predicting the index will fall to 54. the latest figure highlights that the manufacturing sector is still the main engine of g