Asia's factory activity weakened in September as soft Chinese demand and global economic uncertainty pointed to a challenging outlook, private surveys showed, keeping policymakers under pressure to shore up their fragile economies.

China’s factory activity continued to contract while the services sector slowed in September, as policymakers prepared an emergency stimulus blitz to revive an economy facing challenges across the board.

Surveys of Chinese factory managers show the economy weakening in recent weeks, as the government ratchets up stimulus