China's service sector sees robust growth in 2025

China's services sector sustained robust growth in 2025, with modern service industries playing a leading role in driving national economic expansion, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Monday.

In 2025, the value-added output of China's service sector went up 5.4 percent year on year to 80.89 trillion yuan (about 11.62 trillion U.S. dollars), the data showed.

The sector's contribution to economic growth reached 61.4 percent, up 3.7 percentage points from the previous year.

During the period, the value-added output of information transmission, software and IT service sectors increased 11.1 percent, while that of leasing and business services expanded 10.3 percent year on year.

Meanwhile, emerging service industries strengthened their leading role, with smart, digital technologies accelerating industrial transformation and upgrading.

"As relevant policies are fully implemented, market confidence in the service sector has significantly improved, and the pace of transformation and upgrading has accelerated noticeably. In the future, industrial upgrading, evolving consumer demand, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence will foster new service business models, providing stronger support for stabilizing the macroeconomy and promoting high-quality development," said Hong Qunlian, director of the Service Industry Research Office of the Institute of Industry at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)'s Academy of Macroeconomic Research.

China's service sector sees robust growth in 2025

A wild Asian elephant wandered into a temporary border checkpoint in southwest China's Yunnan Province in the early hours of Friday, prompting police and auxiliary officers to evacuate to safety before the animal calmly left without causing damage.

The elephant approached the checkpoint in Jiangcheng Hani and Yi Autonomous County of Pu'er, bypassed barriers and traffic cones, and eventually walked away peacefully.

Officers followed established procedures, withdrawing to safe areas and ensuring no disturbance to the elephant, personnel or facilities.

The county, located at the junction of China, Laos and Vietnam, is a key habitat for wild Asian elephants. Local checkpoints often see elephants "drop by," and officers have developed a routine response when facing such an elephant encounter.

Upon receiving alerts or spotting elephant activity, officers are expected to immediately clear the area, close access routes, and monitor the animals until they depart, before swiftly restoring order.

Wild Asian elephant strolls into border checkpoint in Yunnan