A robot welds metal pipes at a digital and intelligent factory of a company in Yongkang city, East China's Zhejiang province, June 16, 2026. [Photo/Xinhua]
China's industrial sector maintained robust growth momentum in the first half of 2026 despite strong external headwinds, which experts said indicates significant innovation-driven improvements in the world's second-largest economy.
The electronics sector has stood out as a major growth driver, with profits nearly doubling between January and June, they said, adding that resilient industrial output and the rapid expansion of new growth drivers are expected to maintain the momentum for solid returns in the second half of the year.
Data released on Monday by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that industrial enterprises with annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan ($2.9 million) reported combined profits of 3.95 trillion yuan in the first half, up 18.7 percent year-on-year.
The growth rate is 3.2 percentage points higher than in the first quarter, and in June alone, industrial profits rose 15.1 percent year-on-year, the data showed.
