China's Oct manufacturing takes hit from trade war

Beijing

GROWTH in China's vast manufacturing sector remained soft in October as the trade war with the United States persists and continues to bite both domestic and overseas demand.

This is according to data from two Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) surveys.

China's official PMI came in at 50.2 in October, its weakest reading in two years. Meanwhile, the Caixin/Markit PMI, a private survey, edged up slightly to 50.1 from 50.0 previously.

It is not unusual for the two surveys to differ. The Caixin PMI surveys smaller private firms while the official version is focused on larger state-owned…