China's machinery industry production and investment have both seen stable growth in the first four months of the year, according to data released by the China Machinery Industry Federation on Friday.
The data reveals that the value added of the five key sectors of the machinery industry maintained growth from January to April. Specifically, the manufacturing of general-purpose machinery grew by 9 percent, special-purpose machinery by 4 percent, automotive by 11.2 percent, electrical machinery and apparatus by 12.7 percent, and measuring instruments and meters by 9.2 percent.
Regarding fixed asset investment, the investment in general-purpose machinery manufacturing sector increased by 17.9 percent, special-purpose machinery manufacturing by 8.4 percent, automotive manufacturing by 23.6 percent, while investments in the electrical machinery and apparatus sector saw a decline of 7.5%, and measuring instruments fell by 15.1 percent.
The China Machinery Industry Federation also noted that among representative products in the machinery industry, the cumulative production of metal cutting machine tools in the first four months reached 260,000 units, a 16.8 percent year-on-year increase. The cumulative production of industrial robots reached 221,000 units, reflecting an even more robust growth of 34.1 percent.
From the perspective of key indexes, the macroeconomic policy measures have been taking effect in the first four months of this year, boosting the growth of production and supply. In addition, driven by the enhanced dual policies on promoting large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-ins, as well as vibrant industrial upgrades, the equipment manufacturing sector continued its rapid growth. As the consumer goods trade-in policy continues, China's domestic demand has seen a steady expansion.
China's machinery industry sees steady growth from Jan to April
Geoeconomic confrontation is the leading short-term global threat in 2026, the World Economic Forum (WEF) warned in its Global Risks Report 2026 released on Wednesday ahead of its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
The report ranks geoeconomic confrontation as the top risk for 2026, followed by interstate conflict, extreme weather, societal polarization, and misinformation and disinformation. It also identifies geoeconomic confrontation as the most severe risk over the next two years.
"I think if there is to be one key takeaway from the report, it's that we are entering an age of competition and this new competitive order is then shaping current global risks, but it is also shaping and to some extent hindering our ability to actually cope with them. That's really the key takeaway. If we take a look at, the number one risk both for 2026 and two years out, it's dual economic confrontation. But then if we look at the risks 10 years out. It's really the climate and environment related risks. All of these things require global cooperation and that's where we're seeing a big backsliding in this new age of competition," said Saadia Zahidi, managing director of the WEF.
Economic risks showed the largest increase in the two-year outlook, with concerns over economic downturns, inflation, rising debt and potential asset bubbles intensifying amid geoeconomic tensions, the report said.
Environmental risks remain the most severe overall, led by extreme weather, biodiversity loss and critical changes to Earth systems. The report noted that three-quarters of respondents expect a turbulent environmental outlook.
Risks related to adverse outcomes of artificial intelligence rose sharply, climbing from 30th in the two-year horizon to fifth in the 10-year outlook, reflecting concerns over impacts on labor markets, society and security.
The 21st edition of the report draws on views from more than 1,300 experts, policymakers and industry leaders.
The WEF's annual meeting will be held in Davos from Jan 19 to 23 and draw nearly 3,000 guests from more than 130 countries and regions to participate.
"So overall, we are starting to see this shift away from what have traditionally been the ways in which people have been able to cooperate. Now, that is not to say that any of this is a foregone conclusion. And I think that's a really important message around the risks report. None of this is set in stone. All of this is in the hands of leaders. Whether they choose to cooperate and invest in resilience or whether they do not. So that's really what we'll be focused on next week in Davos bringing leaders together under this overall theme of 'a spirit of dialogue' and trying to reestablish relationships, cooperation and trust. That's the fundamental," said Zahidi.
WEF warns of rising geoeconomic risks in 2026
