China stocks slipped in thin trading volume on Thursday, ahead of the Lunar New Year holidays, as investors worried about more COVID outbreaks and other uncertainties when markets are closed for the festival. ** China's blue-chip CSI 300 Index slipped 0.1% by the end of the morning session, while the Shanghai Composite Index was down 0.2%. ** Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index lost 0.3% and the Hang Seng China Enterprises Index declined 0.5%. ** Other Asian stock markets mostly pushed higher ahead of U.S. consumer price data that investors hope will confirm inflation is in retreat. ** People in China...