Industrial improvement… Chinese output rises for the first time this year but retail sales and fixed asset investment continues to decline. Tensions between the U.S. and China escalate as President Trump warns he could completely cut ties with China, saying he has no reason to talk to President Xi Jinping right now. CNBC learns the President is set to sign an executive order to require key medicines to be manufactured in the U.S to reduce reliance on foreign supply chains. French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi is in hot water with the Élysée Palace after CEO Paul Hudson suggested that the U.S. could be first in line to receive its potential Covid-19 vaccine. And in telco news, BT has refused to comment on whether it will offload its OpenReach stake to fund the launch of its super-fast fibre.