Industrial sector contributes over 35 percent to total economic growth in H1: official

China's industrial sector provided a critical anchor for the national economy in the first half of 2026, contributing over 35 percent to the total economic growth, an official with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) said on Monday.

Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, Wang Weiming, chief engineer of the MIIT, noted that the overall economic operation has remained generally stable, with policy implementation accelerating to boost consumption and better align supply with demand. "The overall economic performance remains generally stable. Efforts have been accelerated to boost consumption, advance the implementation of major national strategies and the building of security capabilities in major areas, and promote large-scale equipment upgrades and consumer goods trade-ins. The new round of action plans for stabilizing growth in 10 key industries has been thoroughly carried out, with a focus on enhancing the supply of quality products and services and better aligning supply with demand. In the first half of the year, the value-added output of industrial enterprises above the designated size grew by 5.4 percent year on year, with the industrial sector contributing over 35 percent to economic growth," Wang said.

He said the corporate profitability has seen a significant rebound.

"In the first five months of the year, the total profits of industrial enterprises above the designated size rose 18.8 percent year on year. Industrial exports grew at a relatively fast pace. In the first half of the year, goods export value denominated in yuan increased 13.4 percent year on year. The digital sector continued to expand rapidly. In the first five months, it recorded revenue of 16.7 trillion yuan (about 2.5 trillion U.S. dollars), up 13 percent compared with the same period last year, while total profits increased 19.3 year on year. Overall business expectations remained stable, with the production index within the manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) staying in the expansion range for four consecutive months," said Wang.

Industrial sector contributes over 35 percent to total economic growth in H1: official

Air defenses were activated around Tehran early on Wednesday as U.S. launched its 11th consecutive night of strikes on Iran.

Reporting from the Iranian capital, a China Media Group (CMG) crew captured footage of Tehran's air defense systems being continuously activated in the wee hours of Wednesday.

According to Iran's Nour News, the air defenses were in response to hostile targets entering the capital's airspace.

Multiple Iranian provinces came under U.S. attacks early Wednesday, including Hormozgan, Bushehr, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Ilam and East Azerbaijan. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X Tuesday that the strikes were "designed to continue degrading Iran's ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz."

In a statement released early Wednesday, the Iranian Army said it launched a large number of suicide drones against ammunition depots and logistics facilities of the command center of the U.S. army's ground forces at Camp Doha in western Kuwait, Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

According to an earlier statement carried by Tasnim, the Iranian Army said its suicide drones struck accommodation and welfare buildings and an equipment warehouse used by the U.S. military at the al-Azraq Air Base in Jordan, and subsequently targeted large equipment warehouses and aircraft maintenance hangars at the Shaikh Isa Air Base in Bahrain.

Iran's main military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, warned early Wednesday that if the United States attacks Iran's nuclear and other sensitive sites, Tehran will consider it as an expansion of the war in the region and launch a "powerful attack" against the interests of the United States, its allies and supporters, Iranian state media reported.

The warning was in response to a threat by U.S. President Donald Trump, who said Tuesday the United States would strike Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear facility "pretty soon", referring to a fortified underground facility in the Isfahan Province that Tehran declared to the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2020 as the future site of an advanced centrifuge assembly plant.

Tehran activates air defenses as US continues strikes