China's industrial enterprises posted steady profit growth in the first 10 months of 2025, with profits in the high-tech manufacturing sector rising by 8.0 percent year-on-year, underscoring the continued upgrade of traditional industries and the strengthening momentum of industrial transformation, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Thursday.
Profits in China's high-tech manufacturing sector maintained solid growth momentum in the first 10 months of the year, rising 8.0 percent year-on-year, which was 6.1 percentage points faster than the overall industrial growth rate, NBS data showed.
A breakdown of the data points to strong performances in several segments. Profits in smart electronics surged, with unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturing posting a 116.1 percent increase and intelligent in-vehicle equipment recording a 114.9 percent rise.
The semiconductor sector also saw rapid improvement, with integrated circuit manufacturing profits up 89.2 percent, electronic materials rising 86.0 percent, and discrete devices increasing 17.4 percent. Precision instrument manufacturing continued to benefit from high-quality development, as profits in optical instruments grew 38.2 percent and those in specialized instruments rose 14.1 percent, the data showed.
China's traditional industries also showed clear gains from ongoing upgrades. In the first 10 months of 2025, several segments posted profit growth rates far above their sectoral averages.
In raw materials, profits in graphite and carbon products jumped 77.7 percent, biochemical and microbial pesticides rose 73.4 percent, and information-use chemical materials increased 19.1 percent — each far exceeding their broader industry averages by 76.7, 78.8 and 24.5 percentage points.
In chemical fibers, rubber and plastics, profits in bio-based chemical fiber manufacturing climbed 61.2 percent, while recycled rubber posted a 15.4 percent increase — outperforming their category averages by 58.3 and 20.4 percentage points.
China's industrial profits remained on a steady upward path in the first 10 months of 2025, rising 1.9 percent year-on-year and marking the third consecutive month since August of accelerating cumulative growth, the data showed.
Among major sectors, mining profits fell 27.8 percent, but the decline narrowed from the previous period, while manufacturing profits climbed 7.7 percent and profits in electricity, heating, gas and water utilities increased 9.5 percent. In October alone, profits dropped 5.5 percent year-on-year, partly due to a higher base last year and faster growth in financial expenses.
Industrial firms continued to record steady revenue growth, with operating income rising 1.8 percent year-on-year in the first 10 months. The sustained increase in revenue created good conditions for the ongoing recovery in corporate profitability, the data revealed.
Profits in China's equipment manufacturing sector grew 7.8 percent year-on-year in the first 10 months of 2025, contributing 2.8 percentage points to overall industrial profit growth. The sector accounted for 38.5 percent of total industrial profits, up 2.0 percentage points from a year earlier, indicating a continued improvement in the industrial profit structure.
Of the eight major categories within equipment manufacturing, seven reported year-on-year profit gains. Profits in the railway, shipbuilding and aerospace segment jumped 32.0 percent, while those in the electronics sector rose 12.8 percent. Electrical machinery manufacturing saw profits rise 7.0 percent. General equipment manufacturers posted a 6.2 percent increase. Special equipment producers recorded profit growth of 5.0 percent.
Bian Yongzu, a senior researcher at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times that the strong profit growth in high-tech manufacturing underscores the steady rise of China's tech competitiveness. He noted that sustained policy support in finance and taxation policies significantly boosted corporate research and development, while Chinese universities and research institutes strengthened their talent and innovation capacity.
He said that China's extensive manufacturing base and integrated supply chain have sharply reduced production costs for high-tech products, giving Chinese firms a clear edge in global competition. This full-chain advantage, from research to large-scale production, has become a major driver of the sector's expansion.
Bian added that China's massive market provides abundant application scenarios, enabling new technologies to be deployed quickly, which helps accelerate the upgrading of traditional industries. The integration of high-tech innovation with the real economy is pushing manufacturing toward greater sophistication and intelligence.
