China's value-added industrial output posted a year-on-year growth of 4.1 percent in April, underpinned by strong growth particularly in equipment, high-tech and digital product manufacturing sectors, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics.
The industrial output is used to measure the activity of large enterprises each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.94 million U.S. dollars).
The equipment manufacturing sector expanded 8.3 percent year on year in April, accounting for 74.5 percent of the growth in overall industrial output. All eight sub-sectors within equipment manufacturing registered gains, underscoring the strengthening foundation of China's industrial base.
High-tech manufacturing emerged as a particularly strong performer. In April, the value-added output in the sector surged 12.8 percent year on year, a significant acceleration of 17.1 percentage points compared to the previous month.
The growth was fueled by the expanding application of artificial intelligence, with notable output increases in storage chips and hard disk drives. Meanwhile, emerging fields such as embodied AI and human-robot collaboration have propelled rapid development in the robotics industry.
Digital product manufacturing also gained momentum, growing 12 percent year on year in April as the integration of digital technologies with the real economy accelerated.
"This year, China has seen faster progress in industrial digitalization and intelligence. Outputs and profits in new-generation information technology, intelligent equipment and other sectors have all seen rapid growth. Meanwhile, we have provided continued support for the implementation of major national strategies and the building of security capacity in key areas and for the implementation of policies on large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-in programs. And with the beginning of the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030), we have gradually rolled out related policies and launched major projects in emerging pillar industries. All these have helped accumulate new growth momentum and accelerate industrialization," said Ren Jiqiu, a researcher with the Academy of Macroeconomic Research under the National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic planner.
The industrial upturn has also contributed to a continued optimization of China's export structure. In April, industrial enterprises above the designated size recorded export delivery value of 1.4 trillion yuan, an increase of 10.6 percent over the previous year. Equipment manufacturing accounted for a substantial 74.4 percent of this total.
Key sectors, including automobiles, railway equipment, shipbuilding, and aerospace, all achieved double-digit export growth, reflecting enhanced competitiveness in global markets.
Equipment, high-tech manufacturing leads China's industrial growth in April
