Factbox: Tech advancements underpin China's Q1 industrial economy

BEIJING, April 21 (Xinhua) -- China's industrial economy posted steady growth in the first quarter (Q1) of 2026, with technological innovations unleashing more growth potentials and the advanced manufacturing sector witnessing accelerated growth, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

The following are some facts and figures highlighted by the ministry at a press conference on Tuesday as it elaborated on the general industrial economy performance, and in particular, the latest trends of high-tech industries in the world's second-largest economy, in the first quarter.

During this period, the value added of industrial enterprises above the designated size, referring to surveyed enterprises each with an annual main business turnover of at least 20 million yuan (about 2.92 million U.S. dollars), rose 6.1 percent year on year, contributing nearly 40 percent to the nation's economic growth.

The value added of high-tech manufacturing enterprises above the designated size increased by 12.5 percent, with the application of artificial intelligence (AI) in the electronics and consumer goods industries accelerating. The output of industrial robots and integrated circuits increased by 33.2 percent and 24.3 percent year on year, respectively.

Efforts have continued to optimize industrial structure, defined by rapid development in the advanced manufacturing sector and carbon-reduction efforts. In the total value-added industrial output, the share from equipment manufacturing enterprises increased by 1.4 percentage points compared with the same period last year.

In endeavors to boost energy conservation and carbon reduction in the industrial sector, China also newly unveiled 2,038 green factories and 128 green industrial parks in the first quarter of this year.

In recent years, computing power infrastructure has become a key foundation driving the development of AI. Computing power supply has become more abundant in the country. As of the end of March, China's intelligent computing power had reached 1,882 EFLOPS (FP16).

Advancements in the information and communications technology sector are laying a solid foundation for the digital and intelligent transformation of the economy and society. As of the end of March, the total number of 5G base stations in China had reached 4.958 million, with 5G-A (5G-Advanced) having covered 330 cities and the number of Internet of Things terminal users having reached 2.948 billion.

The electronic information manufacturing industry got off to a good start in the first quarter. Combined value added of the computer, communications and other electronic equipment manufacturing industries increased by 13.6 percent year on year in this period.

In the first quarter, value added of the consumer goods industry increased by 5.1 percent year on year, accounting for 27.9 percent of total value-added industrial output.

To better align the supply of consumer goods with demand, the ministry said it would work to create a diverse, personalized and high-quality product system through promoting the supply of products in areas such as health, China-chic and cultural products, as well as those targeting the elderly, women and children.

Efforts will be continued to maintain proper growth of the industrial economy going forward, according to the ministry, which also pledged to speed up the digital transformation and intelligent upgrading of industries, and explore new application scenarios in sectors like energy, automobiles, healthcare, education, culture and tourism, and sports.