The value added of Chinese industrial companies above the designated size grew 5.3 percent year on year in the first seven months of the year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Monday.
Industrial enterprises above designated size are those with annual revenue from principal business reaching or above 20 million yuan (about 2.97 million U.S. dollars).
Speaking at a press conference in Beijing, NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said industrial production maintained relatively rapid growth during the period, with equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing showing strong momentum.
"From January to July, the value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size rose 5.3 percent year on year. By sector, value-added of the mining industry grew by 2.5 percent, manufacturing by 5.6 percent, and production and supply of electricity, heat, gas and water by 5.4 percent. The value-added of the equipment manufacturing industry rose by 9.7 percent, while that of the high-tech manufacturing grew by 13.8 percent, outpacing the overall growth rate of industrial enterprises above the designated size by 4.4 and 8.5 percentage points, respectively," he said.
Products such as lithium-ion batteries and industrial robots posted extraordinary growth, according to the spokesperson.
"By product, output of 3D printing equipment, lithium-ion batteries, and industrial robots rose 52.3 percent, 40.2 percent, and 28.5 percent year on year, respectively," Fu said.
The NBS also revealed that the value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size grew 4.5 percent year on year in July.
China's large firms' industrial output rises 5.3 pct in first 7 months
China is continuing to experience a box office boom this year, driven by a nationwide campaign to spur consumption with cheaper cinema tickets while a series of big summer releases are also enticing film fans out to theaters up and down the country.
Seen as one of the most lucrative periods of the year, China's summer box office season, which officially runs from June 1 to August 31, has now generated more than 10.7 billion yuan in box office revenue as of midday Thursday.
This has helped propel China's total box office revenue for 2026 above 26.5 billion yuan (over 3.9 billion U.S. dollars) as of Thursday afternoon, with more than 670 million moviegoers and over 96 million screenings recorded, according to the latest data from a leading Chinese ticketing platform.
The diverse line-up of summer blockbusters covers a broad range of genres, including comedy, animation, sci-fi, war, and suspense and action, offering audiences more choices and helping attract viewers from different age groups and with different interests.
Among the best performers is the anti-war film "Once Upon a Time in the Middle East," which tells the story of a chef working at a Chinese restaurant in the Middle East when war breaks out in the 2000s. It has drawn positive feedback both for its perspective on war and the vivid portrayal of life in the Middle East.
In just 10 days since its release on Aug. 11, the film has raked in over 1.2 billion yuan, catapulting it up the box office charts as it closes in on the year's biggest grossing films.
Ticketing data shows that the current top four on China's annual box office chart are the auto-racing sequel "Pegasus 3", Hong Kong director Stephen Chow's sports comedy "Kung Fu Soccer" about a team of female footballers, the touching family drama "Dear You", and animated film "All Wishes Come True!"
China launched a nationwide campaign this year to boost the cinema sector, with at least 1.2 billion yuan in subsidies planned throughout 2026 to make movie-going more affordable. Data shows the average ticket price for domestic-made movies has dropped to 39.5 yuan (less than 6 U.S. dollars) this year, some 20 percent lower in 2025.
China's summer film season continues as consumption campaign entices moviegoers
