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China's economy shows signs of improvement, property sector still in doldrums

China's manufacturing and investment improved in the first two months of the year, while weakness in the property sector weighed on the economy, the National Bureau of Statistics said Monday.

The report said industrial output rose 7% from a year earlier in January-February, better than analysts had forecast. Spending on factories and equipment, known as fixed-asset investments, rose 4.2%.

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Asian stocks gain ahead of US and Japan rate decisions

Asian stocks advanced Monday ahead of policy decisions this week by Japan's central bank and the Federal Reserve.

Oil prices and U.S. futures rose.

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China's FM meets New Zealand counterpart, in trip that also includes Australia

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Monday that his country is ready to work with New Zealand to deepen trade and economic ties and address climate change.

Wang met his New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, at the start of a tour that will also include Australia.

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Wall Street opens higher ahead of a big week of central bank meetings

Stocks are opening higher on Wall Street ahead of a busy week for central banks around the world that could dictate where interest rates go next. The S&P 500 was 1% higher in early trading Monday, coming off its first back-to-back weekly losses since October. It's still close to its all-time high set early last week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 133 points, or 0.3%, and the Nasdaq composite was up 1.5%. Treasury yields held relatively steady. The Federal Reserve will announce its latest decision on interest rates Wednesday. The central banks of Japan and England also meet this week.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below.

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EU announces an $8 bn aid package for Egypt as concerns mount over migration

The European Union has announced a 7.4 billion-euro ($8 billion) aid package for cash-strapped Egypt as concerns mount that economic pressure and conflicts in neighboring countries could drive more migrants to European shores.

The deal, which drew criticism from rights groups over Egypt's human rights record, was signed Sunday afternoon in Cairo by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The ceremony was attended by leaders of Belgium, Italy, Austria, Cyprus and Greece.

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