China's auto sales rebounded in October but Japanese brands were hurt by a territorial dispute between Beijing and Tokyo.

According to The Associated Press, an industry group said Friday, Nov 9, that sales in the world's biggest auto market by number of vehicles sold rose 6.4 percent to 1.3 million vehicles. That was a recovery from September's 0.3 percent contraction — the first this year.

The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers said sales by major Japanese brands extended September's slide, declining 38 percent overall from a year earlier.

China's auto sales growth has slowed sharply over the past year as the economy cooled and some cities imposed restrictions on ownership in response to smog and congestion.