THE NEW YORK TIMES

In the long term, China's economic ties with Central Asia could liberate it from any concern that the US could use its superior naval power to enforce a sea blockade, analysts say.

In Kazakhstan, Chinese President Xi Jinping formalized the $5 billion deal for Kashagan, which for the first time places China in a consortium alongside the big international players: Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and the Italian company ENI.

In Turkmenistan, President Xi opened a new onshore gas field, the second biggest in the world, one that the Western energy companies had been vying for.

In less-affluent Uzbekistan, China has become the country's second-largest trade partner. And in energy-poor Kyrgyzstan, President Xi was the center of attention at the China-bankrolled Shanghai Cooperation Organisation annual meeting.

BLOOMBERG

China's economy slowed this quarter as growth in manufacturing and transportation weakened in contrast with official signs of an expansion pickup, a private survey showed.

Increases in business-investment and real estate revenue also slowed, while service industries picked up and employees became tougher to find, the survey from New York-based China Beige Book International said Tuesday.

The quarterly report, which began last year and is modeled on the US Federal Reserve's Beige Book business survey, diverges from government figures showing faster factory-output gains in July and August that have spurred analysts from Citigroup Inc to Deutsche Bank AG to raise their expansion estimates.