China’s crucial manufacturing sector is having its worst month since the depths of the global financial crisis in early 2009, according to a preliminary reading of a closely watched factory survey. The flash reading of the Caixin China general manufacturing purchasing managers’ index dropped to 47 points in September, down from 47.3 in August, marking the worst performance for the sector in 78 months. A reading above 50 indicates improving conditions while a reading below 50 signals deterioration. The index has now indicated contraction in the sector for seven consecutive months. The survey was published less than an hour after Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a policy speech in Seattle at the start of a state visit to the US in which he sought to reassure Americans on a broad range of contentious issues, including the health of the Chinese economy.