China's Industrial Output Shows Steady Growth in September

Official data released on October 20 by China's National Bureau of Statistics indicates that the country's industrial sector maintained a steady expansion in September.

The value-added output of China's large-scale industrial enterprises increased by 6.5 percent year-on-year in real terms last month. On a month-on-month basis, output grew by 0.64 percent.

The performance across different industrial categories was varied. The mining sector saw its output grow by 6.4 percent year-on-year, while manufacturing output increased by 7.3 percent. The production and supply of electricity, heat, gas, and water recorded a more modest rise of 0.6 percent.

A breakdown by economic type revealed that state-controlled enterprises registered a year-on-year output increase of 6.5 percent. Shareholding enterprises grew by 6.8 percent, foreign-funded and Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan-funded enterprises increased by 5.8 percent, and private enterprises saw growth of 4.6 percent.

Out of 41 major industrial sectors, 36 recorded year-on-year growth in added value. Key sector performances included:

• Coal mining and washing: up 6.4%

• Oil and natural gas extraction: up 8.9%

• Processing of agricultural and sideline products: up 6.0%

• Manufacture of alcoholic beverages, beverages, and refined tea: up 0.8%

• Textile industry: up 2.2%

• Chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing: up 9.0%

• Non-metallic mineral products manufacturing: up 0.2%

• Ferrous metal smelting and rolling: up 2.2%

• Non-ferrous metal smelting and rolling: up 8.4%

• General-purpose equipment manufacturing: up 9.3%

• Specialized equipment manufacturing: up 5.4%

• Automobile manufacturing: up 16.0%

• Railway, shipbuilding, aerospace, and other transportation equipment manufacturing: up 10.3%

• Electrical machinery and equipment manufacturing: up 7.9%

• Computer, communications, and other electronic equipment manufacturing: up 11.3%

• Electricity and heat production and supply: up 0.5%

At the product level, output increased for 362 out of 623 major industrial products. Notable production figures for September include:

• Steel: 124.21 million tons, up 5.1% year-on-year

• Cement: 154.44 million tons, down 8.6%

• Ten nonferrous metals: 6.95 million tons, up 2.9%

• Ethylene: 2.99 million tons, up 5.3%

• Automobiles: 3.227 million units, up 13.7%

• New energy vehicles: 1.58 million units, up 20.3%

• Electricity generation: 826.2 billion kilowatt-hours, up 1.5%

• Crude oil processing volume: 62.69 million tons, up 6.8%

Meanwhile, the product sales rate for industrial enterprises above the designated size stood at 96.7 percent in September, representing a year-on-year increase of 0.6 percentage points. Export delivery value saw a nominal year-on-year increase of 3.8 percent, reaching 1.476 trillion yuan.

For the January to September period, the value-added output of industrial enterprises above the designated size grew by 6.2 percent year-on-year. Within this total, the petroleum and natural gas extraction industry grew by 4.4 percent, the chemical raw materials and chemical products manufacturing industry grew by 8.1 percent, and the rubber and plastic products industry grew by 6.2 percent.