Profits of China's industrial firms above the designated size increased 15.5 percent year on year during the first nine months of 2026, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Tuesday.
These industrial firms with an annual main business revenue of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.95 million U.S. dollars) saw their total profits reach 6.03 trillion yuan (about 905 billion U.S. dollars) during this period, according to the data.
The electronics industry was a major driver of industrial profit growth. In the first three quarters, its profits doubled from a year earlier, contributing 9.6 percentage points to total profit growth and providing strong support for the overall expansion.
Among subsectors, robust demand for AI computing power and advanced memory technologies boosted profitability. Profits of manufacturers of electronic specialty materials surged 220 percent, while those of semiconductor discrete devices increased 51.7 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, high-tech manufacturing continued to outperform the broader industrial sector. Its profits rose 52 percent year on year.
Growth was particularly strong in industries linked to computing infrastructure and data center construction, including optical fiber, optical cable and computer equipment manufacturing, whose profits rose by 5.7 and 1.1 times respectively.
Profits in computer peripheral devices manufacturing and computer manufacturing rose 2.8-fold and 1.7-fold, respectively.
The raw materials manufacturing sector also maintained robust momentum, with profits up 44.9 percent from a year earlier.
"As transformation and upgrading gather pace, China's industrial structure is becoming more advanced and of higher quality. High-tech manufacturing and emerging industries are accounting for a growing share of the economy, while breakthroughs are being made in higher-value segments of the industrial value chain. These gains are helping drive stronger industrial performance and greater efficiency," said Xu Jianwei, director of the industrial office under the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC)'s Institute of Industrial and Technological Economics.
Profits of China's major industrial firms up 15.5 pct in first nine months
