China's manufacturing activity shrank for a sixth month in September, an official survey showed on Tuesday, suggesting producers are waiting for further stimulus to boost domestic demand, as well as clarity on a U.S. trade deal, Reuters reported. The official purchasing managers' index (PMI) rose to a six-month high of 49.8 in September versus 49.4 in August. It remained below the 50-mark separating growth from contraction. The prolonged slump underlines the twin pressures on China's economy: domestic demand has failed to mount a durable recovery in the years since the pandemic while U.S.

The U.S. on Monday cracked down on companies in China and other countries that use subsidiaries or other foreign affiliates to get around curbs on chipmaking equipment and other goods and technology, Reuters reported. The Commerce Department issued a new rule expanding its restricted export list, known as the Entity List, to automatically include subsidiaries owned 50 percent or more by a company on the list, according to a posting in the U.S. Federal Register. The action greatly increases the number of companies that require licenses to receive American goods and services.

China's Premier Li Qiang and European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen stressed cooperation during their meeting in New York, as the world's No.2 and No.3 economies looked to defuse trade tensions while squeezed by U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, Reuters reported.

Chinese automakers are expanding in Europe, betting on their competitive pricing and advanced technology to break into a market traditionally dominated by European and American brands, amid a global shift towards electric vehicles, Reuters reported. This expansion has stoked trade tensions between Brussels and Beijing, including a row over EU tariffs on Chinese-made EVs, imposed to protect European producers. Read more

China kept its benchmark lending rates unchanged for the fourth consecutive month in September, in line with market expectations, following the central bank's decision to hold a main policy rate steady last week, Reuters reported. The steady loan prime rate (LPR) fixings reflect the authorities cautious approach to monetary easing amid easing Sino-U.S. trade tensions, resilient exports and a recent stock market rally, despite signs of a domestic slowdown and monetary easing by the Federal Reserve. The one-year LPR was kept at 3.0% on Monday, while the five-year LPR was unchanged at 3.5%.

The European Union proposed sanctions against Chinese and other foreign companies buying Russian oil, as part of a package of measures intended to show President Trump the bloc is ramping up economic pressure on Russia and its backers, the Wall Street Journal reported. The EU also would impose new banking sanctions, blacklist additional companies aiding Russia’s military and speed up its plan to phase out purchases of Russian liquefied natural gas. The measures will need the backing of all 27 member states, which isn’t guaranteed.