While geopolitical tensions and trade frictions continued to weigh on the global economy, China posted steady growth in the first half of 2026, demonstrating solid resilience as the world's second-largest economy embarked on its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) for national socioeconomic development.
The country's gross domestic product (GDP) reached around 69.6 trillion yuan (about 10.28 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first six months, expanding 4.7 percent year on year at constant prices, a growth rate that is in line with the full-year economic target, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Wednesday. In the second quarter, its GDP expanded 4.3 percent year on year.
The Chinese economy has "operated within an appropriate range against pressure," continuing to demonstrate strong resilience, the NBS said in a statement, pointing to bright spots such as robust growth in production and supply, stable employment and rapid expansion in new growth drivers.
China's GDP grew five percent year on year in the first quarter. The country has targeted its 2026 growth at 4.5 to five percent and will strive for better in practice.
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, NBS deputy head Mao Shengyong said that the steady economic performance has laid a solid foundation for achieving major annual targets, particularly the economic growth target.
"Compared with the same period last year, the GDP increment of 3.6 trillion yuan (around 531.6 billion U.S. dollars) marked the largest for any January-June period in the past five years. For China as a super-large economy, delivering a 4.7-percent growth is a great achievement," Mao said.
Noting that the external environment has become more complex and uncertain, Mao said China's economic strength has helped the country effectively navigate risks and challenges, citing adequate energy supply, mild inflation and solid foreign trade performance in the first half of 2026.
In the January-June period, the country's output of key energy products was stable and imports were risk-controllable, adequately meeting energy needs for both production and living.
Also, a bumper summer grain harvest in 2026, with the total output topping 150 million tonnes, has further consolidated the foundation of food security and laid a solid groundwork for the year's overall grain production, price stability, and people's livelihood.
Mao also highlighted improvements in China's growth quality.
"New growth drivers represented by high-end manufacturing and modern services contributed over 40 percent to economic growth in the first half of this year. The economy's distinct shift toward innovation-driven and high-quality development has become apparent, and the overall development trend is accelerating," Mao said.
Traditional industries are undergoing digital transformation to achieve green transition and development. At the same time, high-tech industries, modern services, and the digital economy -- representing new technologies and emerging sectors -- are accelerating their growth.
In the January-June period, the value added of high-tech manufacturing enterprises above the designated size (enterprises each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan, or 3 million U.S. dollars) increased by 13.3 percent year on year, according to the NBS data.
The country's artificial intelligence (AI) related industries, including integrated circuit manufacturing and intelligent in-vehicle equipment manufacturing, posted more than 30 percent growth in the first six months. The output of integrated circuits reached 279.8 billion units, equivalent to an average of over 1.5 billion units produced per day.
In the six-month period, the value added of manufacturing accounted for 26.2 percent of the GDP, up by 0.4 percentage point from three years ago, the NBS data showed.
The services sector further strengthened its role as a key driver of economic growth. In the first half of 2026, the value added of the services sector increased by 5.2 percent year on year, outpacing overall economic growth by 0.5 percentage point. The value added of the industry accounted for 59.5 percent of the GDP.
In the January-June period, the country's total retail sales of goods and services, a major indicator of the country's consumption strength, increased by 2.7 percent year on year, the data showed.
The retail sales of services increased by 5.3 percent in the period from a year ago, and that of goods increased by 1.1 percent.
Highlighting an upgrade in consumption, Mao said that in the first half of the year, digital consumption and green consumption accelerated as people turned to smart and green products.
China posts resilient January-June growth as 15th Five-Year Plan gets underway
