Kathmandu— China's value-added industrial output increased by 5.3 percent year on year during the first seven months of 2026, according to data released Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). Growth was observed across multiple sectors including mining, manufacturing, and utilities, with particularly strong performance in equipment and high-tech manufacturing. The figures indicate a continued expansion of China’s industrial base despite a recent dip indicated by purchasing managers' index.

Sector Performance

The NBS data revealed varied growth across different industrial sectors. Mining output increased by 2.5 percent, while the manufacturing sector saw a rise of 5.6 percent. The electricity, heat, gas and water production and supply sectors experienced a 5.4 percent increase in value-added output.

The equipment manufacturing sector demonstrated robust expansion, growing by 9.7 percent year on year. High-tech manufacturing outperformed the overall industrial growth rate, increasing by 13.8 percent – exceeding the general industrial growth by 4.4 and 8.5 percentage points respectively.

Emerging Industries Drive Growth

Several emerging industries showed particularly strong performance during the period. Output of 3D printing equipment, lithium-ion batteries, and industrial robots jumped significantly, increasing by 52.3 percent, 40.2 percent, and 28.5 percent year on year, respectively.

Sun Xiao, an NBS statistician, noted that emerging sectors like high-tech and digital product manufacturing now account for approximately 50 percent of industrial output growth – a rise of around 3 percentage points compared to the first half of the year.

Ownership and Profitability

Both state-owned/state-holding enterprises and private enterprises contributed to the overall increase in industrial output. State-owned entities grew by 3.9 percent year on year, while private enterprises saw a rise of 4.5 percent.

Total profits for China’s large industrial firms reached 3.948 trillion yuan (approximately 581.67 billion U.S. dollars) from January to June, representing an 18.7 percent year-on-year increase.

In July alone, industrial output grew by 4.5 percent year on year and 0.11 percent month on month, though the purchasing managers' index for the manufacturing sector stood at 49.2 percent last month.

(With inputs from Xinhua)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.