- Existing concerns that Europe was on the verge of a recession were stoked on Friday by new data which shows the bloc’s manufacturing sector is struggling
- China is the EU’s biggest source of imports and its second-biggest export market. China and Europe trade on average over €1 billion a day
A recession in Europe would hit demand for Chinese exports and could lead to a further narrowing of China’s trade balance, analysts have said.
Existing concerns that Europe was on the verge of a recession were stoked on Friday by new data which shows the bloc’s manufacturing sector is struggling.
The euro zone purchasing managers index (PMI) showed that manufacturing contracted in March, at a rate not seen in nearly six years. Along with the already weak performances of major European economies and uncertainties over the impact of Brexit and the US-China trade war, the data added to concerns that Europe is headed for a downturn later this year or early in 2020.
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