China's industrial economy maintained stable growth and showed continued structural improvement in the first 11 months of the year, with the value-added of industrial enterprises above a designated size up 6.0 percent year on year, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The data, released on Monday, showed key industries are making steady progress, while new growth engines are accelerating, providing a solid foundation for China to meet its annual economic stability targets.
The industrial sector demonstrated strong growth in November, with 30 out of 41 major industrial categories recording year-on-year expansion, according to the data. Among these categories, auto manufacturing, railway, shipbuilding, aerospace and other transport equipment manufacturing sectors all registered a growth of 11.9 percent.
Meanwhile, the computer, communication and other electronic equipment manufacturing industries increased by 9.2 percent, with these key industries injecting momentum into the broader industrial economy.
New growth drivers also showed strong momentum and have become a core engine of industrial expansion. In the first 11 months of the year, the NBS data showed the value-added of high-tech manufacturing increased 9.2 percent year on year.
In terms of specific products, in November alone, output of 3D printing equipment surged 100.5 percent year on year, while industrial robot production rose 20.6 percent. New energy vehicle (NEV) output reached 1.84 million units during the month, up 17 percent year on year, according to the latest NBS figures. The rapid growth of these emerging products has highlighted the strong innovative vitality of the country's industrial sector, with the widespread application of digital technologies also providing momentum to the development of China's "new quality productive forces," which stresses a focus on tech development and innovation.
"In the first 11 months, the intelligent, green and integrated transformation injected new vitality into traditional industries. The growth rates of high-tech manufacturing and equipment manufacturing were both faster than that of overall industry. The internal forces for industrial transformation and upgrading have been continuously strengthened. This has become an important pillar for ensuring that the annual economic and social development targets are successfully achieved," said Han Jianfei, deputy director of the industrial economics institute at the China Center for Information Industry Development.
China is now expected to focus on key tasks in advancing a new type of industrialization, deepening the integration of sci-tech innovation and industrial innovation, improving the resilience of industrial chains in handling risks and becoming more self-reliant, and promoting the optimization and upgrade of industrial structures.
Data shows China's industrial economy remains steady in first 11 months
Political observers from across the Taiwan Strait have applauded the policy measures newly unveiled by the Chinese central government to boost exchanges and cooperation between the mainland and the island region.
The central government on April 12 rolled out 10 policies and measures -- spanning inter-party communication, infrastructure, travel, trade and culture -- aimed at boosting cross-Strait exchanges and cooperation.
The announcement by the Taiwan Work Office of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee followed a meeting between Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, and Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, the first such top-level meeting between the two political parties across the Taiwan Strait in a decade.
Atop the 10 initiatives announced by the mainland is a proposal to explore a regular communication mechanism between the CPC and the KMT.
In addition to exploring the establishment of a regularized communication mechanism between the CPC and the KMT, more of these policy measures concern specific issues related to people's livelihood, precisely addressing the actual needs of various sectors in Taiwan, especially grassroots communities, youth, and small and medium-sized enterprises.
"For example, the catches of Taiwan's deepsea fishing vessels can be shipped directly to the mainland, and Taiwan's agricultural products can also enter the mainland market, which are both cases of expanded integrated development. In addition, Kinmen and Matsu can be connected with the coastal areas of Fujian Province in terms of access to water, electricity and gas supply, and construction of cross-sea bridges. There are also plans for Xiamen's Xiang'an airport to be jointly used with Kinmen. All these are concrete steps that further deepen integrated development," said Wu Yongping, dean of the Institute for Taiwan Studies at Tsinghua University.
Among the 10 policy measures is one for resuming individual travel to Taiwan for residents of Shanghai and Fujian. Taiwanese tourism and business operators believe that compared to approving group tours earlier, the mainland's willingness to directly promote the resumption of individual travel pilot programs sends a stronger signal of openness and demonstrates greater goodwill.
Recent data indicate increasing cross-Strait exchanges. In the first quarter of this year, applications for travel passes for Taiwan residents to enter or leave the mainland rose by 11.8 percent year on year, while visits by Taiwan residents to the mainland increased by 27.6 percent. First-time applicants -- many under the age of 45 -- have also grown in number.
"The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has gone too far in manipulating its so-called 'anti-China,' 'resentment toward China,' and 'resistance to China" tricks, which has backfired. More and more young people feel that there's no need to deliberately 'demonize' the mainland -- they want to see for themselves what the mainland is really like. Over the past couple of years, we've seen many people go to the mainland and use various forms of audio-visual media to share the truth about the mainland's progress with more Taiwan people around them," said Wang Bing-chung, a political commentator in Taiwan.
"Many of these individuals are Taiwan youth who previously supported the DPP. Because they were deceived in the past, they now carry a strong sense of anger and feel compelled to take personal action to debunk the lies they were fed. Under these circumstances, I believe it is an inevitable historical trend for compatriots on both sides of the strait to grow closer," he said.
Political observers across Taiwan Strait laud central gov't policies on boosting ties
