Industrial Profits Rise 15.7 Per Cent in China for January‑August 2026

According to Xinhuanet, China’s industrial enterprises above designated size recorded total profits of 5.27198 trillion yuan in the January‑August period of 2026, representing a 15.7 per‑cent year‑on‑year increase on a comparable statistical basis.

Breakdowns by ownership show state‑controlled industrial enterprises posted combined profits of 1.67599 trillion yuan, up 10.3 per cent. Joint‑stock enterprises reached 4.07146 trillion yuan in profits with a 20.4 per‑cent rise. Foreign‑funded and Hong‑Kong, Macao‑Taiwan‑funded enterprises registered 1.17947 trillion yuan of profits, climbing 2.3 per cent, while private‑sector enterprises recorded 1.32132 trillion yuan, marking a 10.4 per‑cent year‑on‑year growth.

Across the three broad industrial sectors, the mining sector gained total profits of 766.15 billion yuan, an increase of 35.1 per cent. Manufacturing sector profits hit 3.96953 trillion yuan, rising by 17.4 per cent. The power, heat, gas and water supply segment reported 536.30 billion yuan in profits, down 12.0 per cent year on year.

Sector‑specific results vary widely. Manufacturers of computers, communications and other electronic equipment saw profits more than double with a 110 per‑cent increase. Non‑ferrous metal smelting and rolling grew 82.9 per cent, coal mining and washing advanced 51.6 per cent, and the chemical raw‑materials sector rose 51.0 per cent. Several industrial divisions recorded falling profits, including special‑purpose machinery, electrical machinery, motor‑vehicle manufacturing, non‑metallic mineral goods and ferrous‑metal smelting. The petroleum, coal and other fuel‑processing segment swung from losses into profitability.

For the first eight months, industrial firms above the designated scale earned total operating revenue of 93.09 trillion yuan, a 6.6 per‑cent year‑on‑year expansion, while total operating costs stood at 79.19 trillion yuan, up 6.1 per cent. The operating‑revenue‑to‑profit margin came in at 5.66 per cent, 0.44 percentage points higher than the same period one year earlier.

At the end of August, total assets of these industrial enterprises reached 197.33 trillion yuan, rising 6.4 per cent year‑on‑year, total liabilities amounted to 115.44 trillion yuan with a 7.0 per‑cent increase, and owners’ equity totalled 81.89 trillion yuan, up 5.7 per cent. The aggregate asset‑liability ratio was 58.5 per cent, 0.3 percentage points above the reading for the previous‑year period. Accounts receivable stood at 29.48 trillion yuan, an increase of 9.0 per cent, and finished‑goods inventory was valued at 7.36 trillion yuan, up 11.0 per cent.

Cost‑efficiency metrics also shifted over the reporting interval. Every 100 yuan of operating revenue corresponded to operating costs of 85.07 yuan, a reduction of 0.41 yuan from a year before, while associated expenses fell to 8.35 yuan per 100 yuan of revenue. Further operational indicators covered asset‑generated revenue, per‑capita business income, finished‑goods inventory turnover days and the average collection period for receivables. The month‑on‑month performance shows industrial enterprise profits in August grew by 4.2 per cent compared with the same month in 2025.