China has once again enforced drastic lockdowns, affecting at least 31 provinces and 134 cities right before the 20th meeting of the Chinese Communist Party Congress. The lockdowns are said to stem from a recent outbreak of COVID-19 in Xinjiang. A Chinese economist warned of a bleak outlook for the Chinese economy as the country saw its services index drop below 50 percent once again.
Caixin, a financial analysis media group, reported that China’s September Purchasing Manager Index (PMI) fell to 49.3 after a short period of recovery when Shanghai lifted its lockdown in May.
