China’s manufacturing sector shrank for a fifth month in September, government data showed on Monday, amid the effects of the ongoing China-US trade war.
China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index nudged higher to 49.8 during the month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, from 49.5 in August. The 50-point level separates contraction from expansion. The September reading was a touch above economists’ forecasts of 49.5 compiled by Reuters.
China’s manufacturers are battling slowing domestic growth alongside the effects of the ongoing US-China trade war. High-level talks between Washington and Beijing are set to resume in October.