China saw a significant surge in consumer demand for electronic products in the first three months of this year, as the policy-backed trade-in program continues to boost domestic demand and spur economic growth, according to a senior official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Xie Cun, director of the Information and Communication Development Department of the MIIT, said that with the support of subsidy policies and accelerated adoption of AI in terminals, Chinese consumers have shown a heightened enthusiasm for electronic products, thereby accelerating the production and sales of electronic devices.
"In the first quarter, the output of electronic computers reached 85.322 million units, a year-on-year growth of 9.6 percent. The total shipment volume of television sets reached 8.84 million units, marking a 4.7 percent increase year on year, and achieving positive growth for two consecutive quarters," Xie said.
From January to March, the added value of manufacturers in the computer, communication and other electronic equipment manufacturing industries above the designated size increased by 11.5 percent year on year, surpassing the average industrial value-added growth rate by 5 percentage points, Xie said, adding that related fixed-asset investments grew by 10.5 percent year on year, exceeding the average growth rate for overall fixed-asset investments at the national level by 6.3 percentage points.
Xie said the MIIT will step up efforts to formulate and issue a new set of action plans for stabilizing growth of the electronic information and manufacturing industry, and strengthen publicity and promotion of typical application cases and outstanding achievements in the operation of pilot programs and demonstrations in consumer electronics development.
China's electronics sector thrives with support of trade-in policy in January-March
China closed 2025 with a record of 92 space launches and major breakthroughs were made in manned space launches, deep space exploration and commercial launches, according to the China National Space Administration.
"In 2025, we created a new launch record, sending more than 300 satellites into planned orbits. Both the number of launches and the number of payloads placed in orbit have achieved qualitative leapfrog development," said Zhu Haiyang, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
In 2025, the Shenzhou-20 crew spent 204 days in orbit, setting a new record for the longest single mission duration in the history of China's manned space program. Following the Shenzhou-20, the Shenzhou-21 achieved the fastest rendezvous and docking in the history of the Shenzhou mission in just three hours and a half.
Facing an unexpected technical situation with the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft, China immediately activated emergency plans. Within 16 days, a series of maneuvers were accomplished including the launch of the Shenzhou-22 backup vehicle, presenting a "textbook model" for the international space community in effectively responding to unexpected emergencies.
In deep space exploration, the Tianwen-2 probe embarked on its journey for China's first asteroid exploration and sample-return mission in 2025.
Last year also saw intensive launch activities from multiple commercial rocket types, injecting strong momentum into the country's commercial space development.
As China has kicked off the first year of its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), a new blueprint for the country's space program is unfolding. Multiple tests are planned in preparation for future lunar exploration, as Chang'e-7 lunar probe is scheduled to be launched for the lunar south pole to search for evidence of water ice. The industry is also preparing for the maiden flights of several new rocket types, which will include the challenges to test rocket recovery and reusability technologies.
China closes 2025 with record 92 space launches
