The purchasing managers' index (PMI) for the mainland’s manufacturing sector stood at 50.1 in September, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, official data showed on Wednesday. A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while below the 50-point mark reflects contraction. The PMI for large enterprises stood at 50.6, while that for medium and small enterprises came in at 49.7 and 48.9, respectively, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. The production index stood at 51.7, an increase of 1.3 percentage points from last month, suggesting accelerated activity in the manufacturing sector. The new order index was 50.5, down 0.1 percentage point from August. Huo Lihui, a chief statistician with the National Bureau of Statistics, said the manufacturing PMI returned to expansion in September. Huo said among the 21 industries surveyed, 12 recorded a PMI above the threshold – an increase of four from the previous month, showing improvements in the manufacturing sector. Official data also showed the PMI for the mainland’s non-manufacturing sector came in at 50.2, up 1.2 percentage points from last month. The composite PMI output index was 50.7, indicating expansion in production and business activities compared to the previous month. (Additional reporting from Xinhua) Edited by Tony Sabine

China must "respond firmly" if the EU introduces restrictions on Chinese businesses or products, the Commerce Ministry said, according to a CNBC translation.

Mainland stocks made modest gains on Wednesday, finding some support from Beijing's latest package of targeted credit-easing measures which were announced late on Tuesday. The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index was up 0.23 percent to open at 3,839 points while the Shenzhen Component Index opened 0.44 percent higher. Among the measures announced, the People's Bank of China said it would cut the interest rate on its one-year pledged supplementary lending (PSL) facility by 25 basis points to 1.5 percent from 1.75 percent to fund investment in water, power grid, computing, telecommunications and other infrastructure projects. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index fell 129 points, or 0.53 percent, to open at 24,393. (Reuters/Xinhua) Edited by Tony Sabine

China's securities regulator is raising the bar for public listings of humanoid robot startups with three specific criteria, according to three sources.

US consumer confidence plunged sharply in September to a level not seen since 2014, according to a key benchmark published on Tuesday, with US households battered by a high cost of living and economic uncertainty from the Iran war. The Conference Board's consumer confidence index fell by 6.7 points to 81.9 this month, its lowest level since April 2014. The high cost of living in the United States is a major issue as the country heads into key midterm elections in November, where Democrats are seeking to wrest control of Congress from US President Donald Trump's Republican Party. "Consumers' write-in responses regarding factors affecting the economy were mostly pessimistic in September," said Dana Peterson, chief economist at the Conference Board. "References to prices, the high cost of goods and services, and oil and gas prices in particular, rose to new heights, reflecting September's surge in fuel costs." Global oil prices have sky-rocketed since Trump and US ally Israel launched the war against Iran in late February, with Tehran's retaliatory action targeting Washington's allies in the Gulf and virtually shutting a key energy trading route. In the United States, the average price of a gallon of regular petrol is up almost 50 percent since the start of the war, according to data from the AAA motor club. "Comments about war/conflict eased this month but remained elevated," said Peterson. "Consumers also frequently cited politics, trade, and employment in their write-in responses, though to a lesser extent." Heather Long, chief economist at Navy Federal Credit Union, said the new data was of concern. "American consumers are worried about this economy. That's alarming just as the most important shopping season of the year kicks off," she said, referring to the pre-Christmas period that the US retail sector relies on. (AFP) Edited by Cecil Wong